Becoming a Winchester
by Skye1963
Summary: AU-When Adell Wallace found that she had aggressive, incurable cancer, she needed to make arrangements for her 10 year old grandson, Sam. Her friend, Missouri Mosley, makes a startling suggestion: John Winchester whose wife was the first murder victim of Adell's son (Sam's father) who was possessed by Azazel. Rated for violence and language. May be triggering.
1. Chapter 1

_AU-John and Dean are summoned to a small town in California by a woman with a request. Her son had been a serial killer who had murdered Mary Winchester when Dean was only four years old. He then went on to kill for another four and a half years before getting killed himself during a police standoff where he had been torturing then stabbed a small child after killing the child's mother in front of him. The child's grandmother is left to raise him until she starts to get sick. Knowing her time is almost up, she calls the Winchesters to repay what her son had taken from them-a life._

_This is a birthday present for my loving sister Ginnylove9990. Happy belated Birthday Little Sister! _

_As usual, I don't own Supernatural or any of its characters, just the OCs starting with the wonderful woman named Adell Wallace. _

Becoming a Winchester

Chapter One-The Beginning

Adell Wallace looked outside where her grandson was sitting in the garden. Like usual, Sam was dressed in grey with sunglasses on and his sleeves surrounding his hands. Even though it was a bright, sunny, warm day, he was wearing a hoody, jeans and shoes. Ever since he had gotten out of the hospital, Sam hid himself from the world. Most of the reason why was because of the scars on his body that had been inflicted by his father. The rest were the psychological scars Adell's son had inflicted on his baby.

Jeffery Wallace had been mean to his brothers and sisters when they were growing up. He was the school yard bully that would beat little kids up for their lunch money and at home, Jeffery would beat up his siblings. Jeffery drank, used drugs and screwed anything he wanted when he wanted. He was suspected of killing the neighborhood pets and setting fires but nothing could be proven. When he was twenty five, he ended up getting a sixteen year old girl pregnant. Instead of charges being pressed, her parents asked that the child be taken care of monetarily and Adell readily agreed since she didn't want a scandal but Jeffery had gotten very angry. He knew he couldn't take it out on the girl herself or the baby as long as Adell was keeping an eye on them so he started to take his anger out on other women. At first, he would just beat the hell out of them then he graduated to rape. Finally, when his child was just six months old, he started to kill them with one of the first being Mary Winchester. Mary with her long, blonde hair and hazel eyes could have been the now seventeen year old's sister and that was her undoing. Jeffery waited until her husband had left for a few hours then he quietly entered the house.

What happened next was horrific and it set a pattern. Jeffery tied up Mary and locked her four year old in his room after tying and gagging the child. Then Jeffery tortured Mary for two hours, letting her screams echo in the house so her baby would hear them. After he was tired of his games, it was thought that Jeffery nailed her to the ceiling and slashed her stomach. He splashed gasoline around the room and lit it on fire before leaving the crime scene. It was only due to her husband, John's, arrival soon after the fire was set that the child had been saved.

Jeffery went on to kill forty nine more women, the last being the mother of his own child. Jeffery had kidnapped her and the little boy, who was five at the time. This time, instead of putting the child bound in another room, he actually tied the boy to a chair and made him watch as Jeffery tortured and killed his mother. The Jeffery turned the knife on the child, cutting him very badly. Some of the cuts were on the bottom of the child's feet and on his palms. Jeffery also tried his hand at skinning the child's stomach and back. When the police broke into the room, having been alerted by a neighbor about screams coming from the abandoned house, Jeffery had actually stabbed the child three times before the police opened fire and mortally wounded him but even that didn't stop him. Eyes flashing yellow, Jeffery flung his arms wide open and, opening his mouth, had a cloud of black smoke fly out his mouth before he dropped to the floor, dead.

Sam spent six months in the hospital before going home with Adell. For years afterward, Sam went to counselors who tried to get him to talk about that night. But the boy refused. He also refused to go to school after being bullied the first time he went. Adell was horrified to see bruises on her grandson's body because others wanted to punish him for the deeds of his father. After that, she hired a full-time teacher to homeschool her grandson.

Another manifestation of Sam's ordeal was the nightmares he had. They had gotten so bad that Sam now had to be drugged to soften them. But the drugs never really stopped the nightmares and, now Sam was stuck in them since the medications wouldn't allow him to fully wake up. Because of the nightmares, Sam had withdrawn even further into himself and Adell made a note to talk to his doctors about it. As much as she hated to hear him scream, she hated the fact that now he was stuck reliving everything that her son had done to him and his mother.

Sam was very thin, painfully so. Before, he had been a beautifully healthy child that had some baby fat still on him but after Jeffery was done with him, he quit eating to the point the doctors had to put a tube down his throat to get him to eat. Now, Adell was feeding him protein drinks just to keep his weight stable. He usually only ate enough to keep his stomach from protesting too much but he really needed to eat more. Sam's last checkup showed that he was still underweight and the doctors had warned Adell that if he didn't start to gain some more, he would have to be hospitalized and force fed again.

With all of Sam's problems, Adell was very worried. Her doctors had given her the news that she had an aggressive form of cancer that they weren't able to cure. Because it was spreading fast, the doctors only gave her six months to live. Adell wasn't afraid for herself but for her beloved grandson. None of her other children were willing to take the poor orphan and she had been going a bit crazy herself until a friend, Missouri Mosley, came up with a solution. Missouri suggested that she give custody of Sam to a man who had lost his wife to Jeffery. Sort of a life for a life. At first, Adell was concerned that the man would abuse her Sam but Missouri assure her that John Winchester, as rough as he was, would love and protect Sam just as he did his own son, Dean. So Adell asked Missouri to call the Winchesters and ask them to visit her so she could get a feel of them. She had vowed that she wouldn't leave Sam with anyone who would hurt him.

When Missouri called Adell back with the news that the Winchesters agreed to meet with her and she would be coming with them to help smooth the way. Adell was glad. She really didn't have the strength to meet with the Winchesters on her own.

WWWWWWWWWWWW

When John Winchester first met Missouri Mosley, his world had just been destroyed. Mary had been killed by a man who also tried to kill their son. Missouri told John that the man had been possessed by a demon with yellow eyes, someone high up in the demon hierarchy. With her help, he had gotten in contact with other Hunters who had trained him and taught him about the supernatural. He became deadly and, in the course of time, taught his son how to Hunt. They hunted all kinds of evil creatures but always kept an ear out for any clue to the yellow-eyed bastard who killed Mary.

It wasn't until a few years later that they heard the demon had been spotted by some cops who rescued a little boy from being slaughtered like his mother had been right in front of the child. When John got there, the sulfur confirmed that the man had indeed been possessed. He talked to the cops who had witnessed the demon leaving but since there was nothing else he could do, he collected his son from the motel room they were staying in and left. There had been sporadic signs since then but nothing concrete and John was starting to wonder if he would ever catch and kill the demon.

He was worried about Dean. Ever since the night Mary was murdered, Dean had become very clingy and introverted. It was like a piece of him was missing and John could guess what that was. Mary, before she died, told her guys that she was pregnant and Dean had been looking forward to being an older brother. John never told his son that the demon had cut the baby out of Mary before she died. He didn't think his son could take such news. That burden was one that John carried by himself. The coroner had been able to tell him that the baby had been a little boy too.

Now, Missouri sat in the front seat of the Impala as John drove to Adell Wallace's home. When she called him, all Missouri said was that a missing piece to his family was going to be found. She told him that he would find out more about Mary which would help with Dean. John knew what she was talking about, Dean's powers. Soon after Mary was murdered, Dean started to develop the power of empathy. It took John a while to figure out why Dean was either so angry or so sad whenever John was around him but when he did, he went to Missouri to ask if she could help Dean control it. Since Dean had the potential to develop other powers, Missouri gave him tools to control them when they came in the future. She also helped John control his feelings around his son since they affected Dean so much that he reflected them back to John. It made life very interesting sometimes, very loud other times.

"Missouri, tell me again why I'm doing this," John asked wearily.

"Honey, you're doing this for the good of your family of course. I already told you that," Missouri answered patiently.

"But why does Adell Wallace of all people want to see me?" John wondered aloud.

Before she answered, Missouri turned to look at Dean. She knew he was asleep but she wanted to look at the boy who was going to save someone from a life of loneliness. The boy was a protector that had lost his charge. Making up her mind as to what she was going to tell him, Missouri began, "Adell has a grandson who will be alone very soon since she is dying. She wants you to raise him and, to make sure he won't be a burden on you or Dean, she is leaving you a hefty sum of money. She wants _you_, John, not some stranger to raise Sam. What I'm going to tell you is a very sensitive subject for Adell and her grandson so I need your promise not to bring it up unless one of them does. Please?"

Missouri wasn't one to ask for a favor so John knew it was serious and he gave his promise, "Okay, I promise not to bring up whatever you are going to tell me."

She smiled then got serious again, "You know that when a demon comes to this plane of existence, they need to possess someone in order to physically affect us. Well, Adell's son Jeffery…"

"Wait, not Jeffery Wallace? The serial killer?"

"John, please let me finish then I'll answer any question you have. As I was saying, Adell's son Jeffery was possessed by the yellow eyed demon. Jeffery was the possessed man who killed Mary and tried to kill Dean. He went on to kill forty eight other women before he killed Sam's mother. Her name was Melissa Caldwell. John, Melissa was Mary's much younger sister…"

"What! Mary was an only child!" John said harshly.

"I checked with the Caldwells. Deanna Campbell was Dora Caldwell's sister. When Melissa was born, she was a month early and her lungs were underdeveloped. Because of that, she had many problems physically and her parents decided to give her to Dora to raise since they were hunting. The whole family was heartbroken and would visit every chance they got until Samuel and Deanna were killed.

"When Melissa was sixteen, she started to go out with Jeffery and subsequently became pregnant. Melissa's parents went to Adell and asked that Jeffery support Melissa and her son. Adell said yes then asked Melissa to move in with her so she could take care of both of them. Jeffery got angry and disappeared for a while. That's when I believe he became possessed. We found out later that the demon targeted the Campbells and, by extension, Mary and Melissa's children. Mary was his first kill in this generation. Melissa was the last.

"You know what happened with Dean. That he had been tied up in his room and left there when the demon started the fire. Now you need to be warned about what it did to Sam. Dean had to hear is mother's torture but Sam, poor boy, was tied up and made to watch his mother being butchered," Missouri had to take a breath and wipe tears out of her eyes. John pulled over to the shoulder then held the woman who came to mean so much to him and his son. They stayed that way for a few minutes then Missouri backed away. "You may want to stay here for a couple of minutes. John, that little boy was only five years old when his daddy kidnapped him and his mother then tortured her to death in front of him. When she was dead…he…turned his 'talents' on the baby. Before the police got there, he had used the knife that killed Melissa on Sam even going so far as to trying to skin his stomach and back. When the police entered the room, the demon stabbed him three times before leaving Jeffery to be shot by the police. Sam spent six months in the hospital and he's now living with Adell."

John was quiet for a few minutes then asked, "How did the police find them?"

"A neighbor heard the screams but, John, that room was almost soundproofed. There was no way for anyone to hear anything that happened in there. Adell told me, and I've confirmed it, Sam is gifted, just like Dean. Sam's first gift was telepathy. He was able to project his agony so he could be rescued," Missouri said finishing her story.

A muscle ticked in John's cheek. "God, that poor kid. Hey, if Dean's gifted and Sam is too, doesn't that mean that it ran in the family?"

"Yes, Melissa and Mary were gifted. Deanna's side was heavily gifted and so was Samuel's. Adell asked me to look into the history of the families involved and I found a pattern. The families had a history of Hunting. I found that, as far as the 1500s, these families hunted together along with the Singers, Murphys, Reeves, Harvelles, Martins and Winchesters. I also found out that Adell comes from the Winchester part of that group. Her granddaddy was Thomas Winchester, who was kept out of the Hunting world, just like you were when you were growing up," Missouri revealed.

John was floored by the information that Missouri had given him then one thing really bugged him and he had to ask, "Missy, why was I kept out of it? If I had known, maybe I could have protected Mary."

"John, one thing all the families did was to keep some of their members ignorant of the supernatural. They wanted to let them grow up normal so they could keep the family name alive just in case everyone else was killed during a Hunt. You, Bobby, Caleb, Joshua and Jim were all kept out of it but then the supernatural bit you all in the collective ass and dragged you in. I think that the demons are finally trying to wipe out the families who are the best in the Hunting world," she said.

"What do I do, Missy? How can I raise two damaged children? I'm already over my head with Dean," John asked, overwhelmed by what had been revealed and what was being asked.

"John, all I can say is that the boys will be better off with you as their father than a stranger. You love Dean and I know that you will love Sam. Because of you, these two children will be safe," Missouri said. John smiled slightly, and then leaned over to give Missouri a kiss before getting back on the road again.

_A/N-I started writing this before season 8 and the history of the Winchesters had been revealed. Though this story can mesh easily with season eight since Henry would have been kept away from the Hunting world. His side of the Winchester Family was part of the Men Of Letters even if John wasn't aware of it since Abaddon massacred them in 1958. Haven't decided whether I want to bring Henry into this story yet...hmmm._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two-Becoming a Family

It was a couple days later that saw John, Missouri and Dean pulling into the driveway of a beautiful, antebellum home. Everything about the place spoke of love and care, a peaceful home that had seen the worst in humans but still was innocent of all the hurts. John was amazed that the house could be like that. After he heard that Jeffrey Wallace was Adell's son, he expected that the walls were dripping with blood and the trees draped with intestines. The house was painted a nice cream color and the trim was a navy blue. No intestines dripped from the sides but there was ivy that climbed on trellises along with roses. Large oak trees shaded the home and made it look as comfortable, as peaceful as any home could be. The tragedy that existed inside the house could not be read from its exterior.

Missouri directed John to park the Impala near the attached garage where there was another car already parked. She got the Winchesters out of the car with their luggage, John taking not only his own but also Missouri's to Dean's delight. Even though John tried to keep it quiet, Dean always knew that his father had a thing for the lady. His emotions were always pink and happy when Missouri was around. The three of them went to the front door where Missouri rang the bell. After waiting for a few minutes, the door was opened by a fortyish woman.

"Hello, Kari! How are you doing?" Missouri asked, greeting the woman.

"Missouri, I'm doing real well, thanks for asking," the woman grinned. "And I see that you are doing just fine, being with these two handsome men." John and Dean both blushed. Kari calling Dean a man did the fourteen year old's ego a good turn. "Well, what are you waiting for? Come in, come in! Adell wants you to sit in the living room. I'll get her and, hopefully, Sam if I can find him. Just put your bags down and follow me. While you are resting, I'll bring in a small snack and some sweet tea." With that, Kari led the small group to a beautiful living room, one that invited someone to sit in it and relax. Books lined the walls while small lamps were placed strategically around the room by chairs and the couch. Small tables also were next to the chairs. The curtains were a rich ivory color and it matched the wall-to-wall carpeting. The walls were paneled with Alpine White with oak trim. After a few minutes, Kari came back, pushing a wheelchair with Adell in it, hooked to an IV with an oxygen tank behind the chair. After Kari parked the chair by the couch, she left again.

"Adell, you are looking fairly well," Missouri said kindly. She actually thought that Adell looked as though she had one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel.

Adell laughed, she knew exactly what Missouri thought but loved the comment anyway, "Mr. Winchester, Mr. Winchester, I'm Adell Wallace. Thank you for coming to my home and meeting with me."

John rose from the couch and extended his hand, "Please call me John," he said. Pointing to Dean, he introduced, "This is my son, Dean." Adell nodded and shook his hand. As John sat down, Adell wheeled herself to a roll top desk and picked up a sheath of papers. Going back to her spot, she put them down on an end table.

"John, I know that Missouri has told you of my request and why. Since you are here, I pray that you will listen to the rest of the explanation and grant my final requests," Adell stopped to take a few pulls on her oxygen mask. Then she put it down and started again, "Missouri probably told you that we are cousins, is that correct?" John nodded then she went on, "She also told you that I believed that you and your son out of all my relatives were the ones whom I thought would protect my grandson the best, correct?" John nodded again.

"What Missouri probably didn't tell you since she didn't know it herself is that I just don't want to you be Sam's guardian but I want you to adopt him. I want him to have a family who would love him and not just for the money I'm leaving him but for himself," Adell saw John's mouth open with objections and she waved him quiet. "Because of Jeffery, my other children won't have anything to do with Sam. Jeffrey abused them when they were growing up, before you ask. He was the perfect vessel for the demon that possessed him and, knowing Jeffery, he probably begged the demon to come to him for the power.

"I know that my sons, Brian and Mitchell, would take their anger out on Sam. Brian has been in trouble with the police and CPS regarding abuse he has done to his own child and Mitchell is an alcoholic with his own anger problems. Brenda and Margery have both married men who are more interested in their inheritances than my daughters. I've already put them in my will with codicils to help protect them but with Brian, all his inheritance will go to his son and ex-wife. Mitchell will get his administrated by my lawyers to make sure he doesn't drink it up the first year. Because of these steps I feel that if my children find out how much I'm leaving you and Sam, they would contest the will and your guardianship, that's why the adoption," Adell pulled out the adoption papers for John to sign. "I know this is a huge favor to ask especially since you don't know us, but this concerns my grandson's life and I only want the best for him. John, you and your son are the best." Numbly, John looked at Dean who had a strange look on his face. Dean nodded to his father who then signed the papers. Adell took them back with a smile. "Good. Now for the rest." Taking out another stapled packet of papers, she gave them to John along with a set of keys. "Even if you hadn't agreed to adopt Sam, this would still be yours."

John read the papers and his eyes grew wide. He looked at Adell who just nodded and smiled. For Dean and Missouri's benefits, she said, "It's a farmhouse that sits on fifty acres of land. I figured you needed a place to call your own. I know the fire had destroyed your home years ago and this is my way to give you something back that you lost. Missouri had called a couple of friends of yours to go out and ward the land, outbuildings, and house so the property is very safe and protected."

Picking up a checkbook, she gave it to John, "This is to go for home repairs, insurance, and property taxes. The property has been paid for so you won't have to worry about any mortgages." Then she picked up two more checkbooks and one passbook. Giving them to John, she explained, "John, you and Dean are to have the checkbooks. These are your inheritances from my estate that came from my side of the family. My children don't know about this money, never have since I kept it that way. Sam also has his inheritance represented in that passbook. My suggestion is to find a bank close to your new home and transfer your funds. I do want to ask that Sam not have total access to his inheritance until he's twenty-one but he can use the interest that the funds earn until then." A fourth checkbook appeared and was given to John, "This is for raising the boys and everything you need. Clothes, food, bills, extras, and also your car needs." A fifth was given to Missouri, "I would never forget you, my dearest friend. You have been a better daughter to me than my own flesh and blood."

A sixth and final checkbook materialized and given again to Missouri, "This is to fund the Hunters Robert Singer, James Murphy, Caleb Reeves, the Winchesters, the Harvelles, Rufus Turner, Joshua Martin and whoever else is in their circle. It's just my way of trying to help people who are in danger from the supernatural since I never learned to hunt. Mr. Winchester, I have sent some of Melissa's keepsakes and my own to the farmhouse for Sam. I have made sure it was furnished with everything you will need except for fresh and frozen foods." She smiled at the dumbfounded people in front of her. She was happy to be able to finally help at least Melissa's brother-in-law and his son. Her main will _had_ some funds allotted to the families of Jeffery's other victims but it wasn't like the money she gave the Winchesters and Missouri. Like she told John, her children would most likely contest her will for any monies not allotted to them. At least she knew that the people sitting in front of her would be taken care of.

As she looked at her guests, a knock sounded on the door and Kari came in with the refreshments and a slight, small boy. Adell smiled softly at her grandson and she patted her knee for him to sit there. Sam was nervous around the two strange men and Missouri even though he knew her. Gladly he went to his grandmother, but instead of sitting on her lap, he chose to hide behind her chair. "Sammy," Adell said gently, "please come out and greet your cousins. The older man is John and the younger is named Dean. They agreed to adopt you, my beautiful child, and give you a home. Can you say hello?"

Dean could sense the distress and fear in the small child so he took the initiative and got up from the couch. Approaching slowly, he finally got to Adell and knelt down. Looking Sam straight in the eye, he projected, _"Hey kiddo, don't be afraid. We won't hurt you, I promise!"_ Sam flinched and mentally tried to hide but Dean didn't let him, _"Don't do that, please. I want to get to know my new baby brother so don't try to hide. I'll just find you and bug you until you say something, bitch!"_

Sam was surprised and automatically thought, _"Jerk!"_ Dean grinned. He knew that since Sam responded to him, there would be no way that the ten year old would be getting away from him. All the while, the adults watched the two boys. Missouri smiled when she heard Dean's thoughts and knew that she was right, Dean had been a protector without his charge and now that he found him, Dean would never let Sam go.

WWWWWWWWWWWW

After lunch, which Kari served in the living room for everyone, Adell asked Sam to show Dean his room, saying that the boys should get to know each other. She had let them know that Dean's room was right next to Sam's and they shared a bathroom that connected both rooms. When both boys left, finally (there had been a bit of a tense moment when Missouri found out that Dean was trying to listen at the door), Adell had Kari get two folders from the desk.

After Kari put the folders down in front of John, she left the room closing the door behind her. Adell sighed in relief. She needed the nurses around but sometimes they could hover around her too much and what she needed to say was private, just like the monies she had given to the Winchesters and Missouri. "John, what you have in front of you are Sam's medical and school records. Sam had been privately tutored since the children in the school were merciless and beat him badly just because Jeffery was his father. They didn't seem to understand that the child was never responsible for the father's actions and neither did their parents who signed a petition to keep Sam from school.

"Sam's medical records are, to say the least, horrific. What my son did to my grandson was torture, plain and simple. The demon had made him watch as it slaughtered Melissa in front of him then it turned the knife onto that beautiful, five year old child. Sam's hands and feet are scarred from the cuts it made to keep him from running. The stab wounds that Sam had received nicked his right kidney, liver, and spleen along with some of his intestines so he was a pretty sick child for six months after the incident. He doesn't talk much since, when he was screaming, he permanently damaged his vocal cords. The worst damage, of course, is all psychological. Sam never speaks of what happened to him but it comes out in night terrors so bad that he is on medication to try to control them but the drugs keep him locked into the dreams, unable to wake up. I've been meaning to talk to his doctors about taking him off the drugs because they seem more harmful to my grandson than the dreams do. Since you have signed the adoption papers, it is now your choice as to what you want to do," Adell revealed with tears in her eyes. John just nodded numbly. He couldn't believe how much physical damage a father could do to his child albeit while possessed. Deep down, he always had hoped that the demons couldn't make a person cross a certain line but now he found that demons could make a person do _anything_, especially if they had a leaning towards the action in the first place, like Jeffery did. It was inconceivable to John, however, that a parent would willfully torture their own child no matter what. John silently vowed to make his _sons_ lives better than they had been. Dean wasn't the only protector in the family after all.

Missouri and Adell watched as all those thoughts and feelings crossed John's face and they smiled. They were absolutely right in picking him for Sam's father.

WWWWWWWWWWWW

Dean was upset at Missouri for chasing him away from the door. He looked up and saw his new little brother staring at him with those strange eyes. Dean knew the eyes were the windows to the soul but what he saw in Sam's eyes was someone who had been in Hell and still remembered every torture he had gone through. The protector in Dean screamed that nobody should hurt that much, especially a ten year old boy, forgetting that he too had been in the same Hell. What the adults were saying meant very little to him now. The child in front of him was now more important than anything in the world. It was at that moment a bond started to forge between the boys.

Dean nodded towards the stairs and Sam just led the way to his room. He knew what Dean had wanted even if no words had passed between the new brothers. "Uh, here's my room," were the first verbal words Sam used in front of Dean. With those four words, Dean learned a lot. He learned that Sam was not just shy but painfully so since his voice sounded rusty as hell. He also learned a lot about Sam just by looking around at the bedroom. It was Spartan except for the books and a picture on the dresser. Dean thought that Sam didn't have anything else in his room then the younger boy opened a cabinet. In it were a television and a VCR. There were many movies but the majority of them were still in the shrink wrap so Dean knew that Sam wasn't much into movies.

Noticing what Dean was looking at Sam said rustily, "My uncles gave those to me. I don't like that kind of movie so I never unwrapped them. You can have them if you want." Dean looked at the titles: It, Alien, Aliens, and so on. Knowing what he did of Sam's history, Dean figured that his uncles gave him the movies as a torture. They were the same as Sam's father, Dean thought, just more subtle.

"Naw, let's just toss the ones you don't like and not say anything to anyone. That way nobody's feelings get hurt," Dean said brightly. Sam gave a small smile and started to toss most of the movies, especially the ones that were of the horror genre. When they were done, there were only three movies left that Sam wanted. Since it made the smaller boy happy, Dean knew his idea was a good one.

Then he moved to the dresser to look at the picture. In it was a pretty blonde woman holding a very small boy. What was interesting to Dean was how closely she looked like his mom…almost like a sister. With that thought going through his mind, he took his wallet out and pulled a picture of his mom out to compare them. Sam saw what he was looking at and said, "That's me and mom. I just had my birthday when that was taken. I was five." The voice was so small and soft, Dean barely heard it over the roaring of blood in his ears. The picture in his hand and the picture on the dresser could have been the same woman except the one on the dresser was so much younger.

He showed his picture to Sam and said, "This is my mom."

"They look alike," Sam observed. "I never knew if mom had a sister or not. She always said that she had been adopted Grandma and Grandpa but I don't know if she ever saw her other family. When I asked, she would just smile but I could feel the tears that were in her eyes." Sam knew that Dean would understand. Ever since their silent exchange in the living room, Sam understood that Dean was special, just like his Grandma Adell always said he was.

"I can feel my Dad's tears whenever he thinks about Mom," Dean replied. He definitely knew what Sam was talking about. Sensing Dean was becoming uncomfortable with the talk about their mothers, Sam quickly showed Dean to his room. Both rooms were connected by a bathroom. Dean could sense that Sam was uneasy in the bedroom that was given to him. Lightly brushing against Sam's mind, he could see why…the room used to belong to Sam's mother and it hurt the younger boy to have anyone in it, even if it was his new brother.

"Hey, I can't sleep in a room by myself. Dad and I usually stay in motel rooms so I'm used to having someone snoring in the bed next to me. Um, do you think anyone would mind if I bunk in your room with you?" Dean asked politely.

Sam felt relief at Dean's request. "No, I'm sure if you ask there wouldn't be any problem but I only have the one bed."

"No problem. We can either stay in the same bed or we can bring another one in here. Of course, if we did that, we would have to move your bed away from the door."

"Why's that?" Sam wanted to know.

"Cuz, older brother sleeps next to the door. I gotta protect you, little brother," Dean replied with a blinding smile. Sam didn't say anything else but answered with a smile of his own. When Dean watched Sam smile, he felt his chest expand. He knew that Sam didn't smile very much and he loved the fact that he was the one to bring that look on the younger boy's face.

WWWWWWWWWWWW

Adell had insisted that the Winchesters and Missouri stay with her for a while so they could get used to Sam and Sam to them. She wanted to supervise every step of the way even though Missouri told her that it was unnecessary. The first clue to that was when Dean moved into Sam's room that first day. Nothing anyone could say would move the boys from changing their sleeping arrangements. Missouri had an idea why Dean wasn't sleeping in Melissa's old room and it had to do entirely with Sam's feelings. Giving into the boys' wants, Adell had John move another bed into Sam's room.

Dean was the one who said that Sam should be taken off the sedatives at night after witnessing Sam being stuck in a nightmare. He had been woken up by a feeling of terror, horror and a deep sadness. Dean didn't know what brought that on until he saw Sam. Even though the younger boy was still and quiet, there was a sheen of sweat that covered him and he was extremely pale. As Dean watched, he noticed tears falling from Sam's eyes. Following his instincts, Dean threw his covers off and ran to his new brother. Getting into Sam's bed, he gathered the child to him and started to croon, "It's okay, Sammy. I gotcha." Sam started to calm as Dean continued to croon and rock him. It was also because of that first night that Dean started to sleep in Sam's bed. Adell noticed a significant decrease in her grandson's night terrors.

When Dean found out about Sam's scars, he asked Missouri for a cream to help keep the scars supple so they wouldn't pull on Sam's skin. After she gave it to him, he coaxed Sam to take off his hoodie and shirt then lay on the bed face-down. Dean started to rub the cream on his back. At first, Sam was tense. He didn't like for anyone to see what his father had done to him for fear that they would see it as a mark of Cain but Dean put him at ease by showing his own scars from burns he had gotten from the house fire. Dean told Sam that the scars were badges of survivorship. When Sam asked him to explain, Dean said that the scars meant that they survived something that had killed other people which meant that they were strong. Sam smiled at that and Dean felt good. It was like watching a baby taking his first step and Dean could feel his chest expand with happiness.

What really cemented their brotherhood was when some neighborhood bullies had spotted Sam waiting patiently outside a store for Dean to come out. Dean had wanted to explore the town and, even though Sam was nervous, he agreed to show Dean around. John gave them both some money and told Dean to watch out for his little brother. Both boys grinned at his words then ran off to have some fun for the day. Sam was nervous when they came to the first store which sold clothing. Many of the town's kids liked to go there to buy their clothes and they had made him know that he wasn't welcome wherever they were. Dean, feeling his brother's worry, shrugged then pulled him into the store. He was determined to give Sam's wardrobe a complete makeover since, as he said, he wanted everyone to see what a handsome brother he had. Sam had made what Dean privately called a bitchface but he agreed to go along with Dean's plans.

Dean allowed Sam to get one hoodie but then he picked out some nice flannel shirts and a couple of jeans for his new little brother. He bought himself some shirts and jeans also since most of his stuff was full of holes, worn, or had blood on them. After paying for their purchases, Dean then made Sam go to a shoe store and there they bought boots, tennis shoes and regular shoes. John had always said that good footwear was important to soldiers and Hunters. Besides their weapons, it was one area he would sacrifice a good night's sleep in a bed for. The other area was his number one priority, Dean. John would hustle, steal or even go without just to make sure his son had food in his belly and clothes on his back.

Dean spotted an auto store and wanted to get John a present. He knew his father would value anything that he could use to keep the Impala in impeccable condition so the auto store was the perfect place for such a gift. Sam wasn't interested in the store and volunteered to stay outside, in plain sight, where Dean could see him at all times. Reluctantly, Dean agreed. He didn't like the idea of his new brother being alone, it went against every protective feeling he had, so he mentally attached a link between them just in case of problems.

What he didn't count on was Sam being spotted by four of the local teens. These kids had been responsible for most of the bullying and beatings that the young boy had received. It was their parents who had petitioned the schools to have Sam banned because, they said, since his father was a murderer they were afraid that sometime in the future, he would become a killer also. At first, the school board refused to act but then the original petitioners went on a signature drive and received most of the signatures of the parents of the other students. When the four saw Sam, they smiled cruelly and went over to him. Surrounding the young boy, they started to call him names and push him around. It wasn't until a punch was thrown at Sam's face that Dean appeared and began to pummel the bullies. After the four were on the ground, Dean grabbed Sam's arm and turned him around to assess the damage. Sam had a bruise that was forming on his jaw but no other injury so Dean picked their packages up and the two boys left. When they got back to the house, Dean let his father know what had happened. John was shocked at the violence that had been done to _his_ baby boy. He told Dean to put ice on Sam's bruise then he prepared for the angry parents to call or come over with threats of retaliation.

An hour after the incident, four cars drove up to Adell's house with four sets of parents. They knocked on the door and when it was answered they were surprised when they were met by a man instead of Kari.

"What do you want?" the man asked rudely.

"We want to see Adell. Our sons were beaten by her grandson an hour ago and we want to see him in the hospital where he belongs. That kid is a menace," one of the fathers said angrily.

"Can't do that. Adell is sleeping, not feeling too good today. Sam is a bit small to be taking on four big kids, isn't he?" the man was insolent. "In fact, it seems as though they probably tried to beat him up. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if they had it coming."

"What the hell do you mean? He's Jeffery Wallace's kid! He's just like his father, a murderer!" the man yelled.

"I'm not a murderer, thank you very much," the stranger replied then smiled at the dumbfounded looks on the faces before him. "Jeffery Wallace may have provided the DNA that resulted in the child but he was no father to him. Sam isn't a Wallace anymore but a Winchester and he's _my_ son." John let his jacket fall open casually so that the crowd could see his gun, "I protect my family, especially from assholes like you who don't understand that a six month old child has no say in what his parents do and a five year old being tortured isn't responsible for an adult's actions. Neither Sam nor Adell are responsible for Jeffery's actions, only Jeffery is responsible for Jeffery's actions. They are just as much victims as the people that Jeffery killed. Now, I suggest you leave before I call the police and have you arrested for trespassing."

"What about our sons?"

"Well, you see my oldest son didn't like seeing his brother being beat up and, like any good brother, he went to Sam's aid. To confirm what my children had told me, I called the store where the incident happened and the clerks backed up their story. Then I made a call to the police and reported your kids for harassing my son so you should expect a call yourself to explain why you believe that it's fine for your older sons to beat up on a child who has many medical problems," John smirked the slammed the door shut on the crowd.

He turned around and saw Dean standing behind him with questions in his eyes, "Is Sam's father really the guy who killed mom?" he asked quietly.

"Jeffery Wallace was possessed by the demon that did the murder," John answered. "Does it really matter whose DNA helped create Sam?"

"No Dad. It doesn't. As far as I'm concerned he only has one father and that's you," Dean answered then went to find Sam.

WWWWWWWWWWWW

John was worried about being a father to an emotionally and physically damaged boy like Sam was. Not only were the bodily damages extensive but his psych report read like a grocery list: PTSD, night terrors, excessive shyness, lack of self-esteem were a few of the things the report had on it. John knew that how to handle the PTSD, both he and Dean had bouts of it. Dean's stemmed from the night Mary died while John's was from his time in Viet Nam. PTSD was very problematic since one didn't know what would set it off. With John it was cars backfiring or even fireworks that would set it off. With Dean, it had been screaming, smell of smoke or even the color yellow for a long time. Adell had told John that Sam had a very hard time with men, knives, meat, screaming and blond women since Melissa, like Mary, had been honey blond.

John remembered walking Dean through his recovery but even now, Dean would clam up and hide whenever something reminded him of that awful night. To make sure he knew some of Sam's other triggers, he read the police and autopsy reports carefully. Because men, especially loud men, would scare the child, he started very slowly to introduce himself into Sam's life. He did little things, such as passing the milk at breakfast, sitting in the same room with the boy and reading out loud. When he felt that Sam was ready for it, John began to talk to him, keeping it light. To make sure Sam didn't feel nervous around him, he had Dean or someone else was in the room with them. At first, Sam wouldn't come out from behind his new brother but eventually, with Dean's help, he started to feel comfortable in John's presence until, one day, the three of them were watching television. Dean got up to go to the bathroom while the others were engrossed in the program and didn't notice his departure until he came back and flopped on the couch. Sam was startled when he figured out he had been in a room with John and nothing bad had happened. Dean slowly started to leave the room more often so the other two were alone together until his brother got used to John. Finally, Dean left one time to get a snack. When he got back he was surprised to see Sam cuddled in John's lap with the older man stroking the younger boy's back and singing "Hey Jude", his mother's favorite song. Dean put his plate down and sat next to his father, joining in the singing. Sam's eyes closed and soon a soft snoring sounded in the room. After that, Sam became more comfortable in John's presence, not needing Dean as a buffer between him and his new father any longer.

Because Adell had a library she was giving them along with other furniture and clothes, John needed some help from his friends to load and drive the truck to his new home. Before calling his friends, he sat Sam down and told him who was being invited over and what they were to the Winchesters. John talked about Bobby Singer, Joshua Martin, Caleb Reeves, Rufus Turner, and Jim Murphy. He said that even though those men could be rough and loud, they would never hurt him but would protect him. John told the boy he had every right to feel nervous, even afraid, but he hoped that Sam would at least give them the chance to prove themselves to him. Sam agreed, not wanting to anger or hurt his new father. John knew exactly what Sam was doing but took his victories where he could. He called his friends for help all the while warning them about Sam. When they asked about motels in the area, Adell wouldn't hear about them staying in one of the "rat infested places", as she called them, while there were plenty of empty rooms in the house. She actually got on the phone and argued with each and every one of them until they agreed to stay at her home. John just grinned. He figured out on their first day there that she was a formidable lady, right on par with Missouri.

_Josiah Brown missed his friends and promised them that he would keep an eye on their mother. When she brought Jeffery's son into her home, he called them and they said they were worried about her mental health since she took the son of a serial killer into her home. They contacted psychiatrists who said that, unless a judge ruled Adell as mentally incompetent, there was no way they could hospitalize her. Brian then contacted a judge who said that there were no grounds for them to have her declared incompetent. _

_Brian, Mitchell and their sisters' husbands got together and decided to keep a strict eye on Adell's bank accounts. They didn't want to have her spend one penny more than was necessary on the boy. They agreed to make a monthly trip to see her and assess whether or not she was losing her mental faculties so they could make their case in front of the judge. When her doctors reported to them that her health was failing, they believed that their time had finally come to get rid of Sam and control Adell completely but before they could make their move, a lawyer friend called Mitchell to tell him that she had adoption papers drawn up with blank spaces where the adopting parent's name and the adoptee's name would go. After a couple of days, he called back to report that the papers had been filed directly with the judge and the adoption of Samuel Wallace had been granted to one John Winchester. Panicking, the brothers, along with their sisters' husbands, made plans to check on their mother. They hated their nephew but they knew that Adell would have provided for him in her will and they wanted the money he would inherit upon her death._

_They weren't aware of many things. One was that the demon that had possessed Jeffery left them a legacy of hatred and greed. It was working through them to destroy a very powerful but innocent child who could someday utterly destroy it. Another thing was that John Winchester was very protective of his children and would do anything to ensure their safety. A third thing was that the men and women who made up John's "family" were of the same mindset. When John adopted Sam, the whole family expanded their protection to that child. There were other things these stupid, greedy people weren't aware of but soon, they would be, to their detriment. _

When the group of Hunters finally arrived at the Wallace home, John was waiting with Dean and his new son, Sam. Sam was very nervous about meeting a group of very loud strange men and his feelings were leaking all over the place. Adell made him take a mild sedative but even that didn't help much until Dean started to sing to him telepathically. It helped to calm the young boy down enough to accept John's arm on his shoulder. He still wasn't ready for his new self-appointed Uncles though.

Loud and happy for the Winchesters, the new people in Sam's life were scary to him. Sam was used to a quiet home since Adell was careful about the volume of her voice but these men had forgotten what John had said in their happiness to see the joy in the faces of his son and himself. Bobby Singer had been extremely worried about his friend since John seemed driven to find the demon who had murdered Mary and her unborn child. He knew what John went through since a demon had been the cause of his own wife's death. Joshua and Rufus had also been worried about the two Winchesters since it felt to them that the sorrow and loss the two had felt was extreme.

Caleb was the first through the door. Spotting Dean, he rushed over to the young teen and started to rough-house with him, not seeing the panicking younger boy hiding behind John. Josh and Bobby were the next to come in. "John, you son of a bitch, how're you doing, boy?" Josh asked in a booming voice while Bobby stood behind him with a face-splitting grin. It took all of Sam's control not to run and hide.

Rufus was quieter but moved like a predator. His eyes moved constantly, watching for danger in all corners of the room. The fact that Rufus felt dangerous to Sam had the boy finally backing away from the group. His heart was racing as he turned to leave only to run into Pastor Jim. "Who's this then?" Jim asked in a quiet voice. John turned around to see what was going on and saw Jim looking at the very pale young boy.

"This is my son, Sam. Sam, that's Pastor Jim Murphy, a brother of sorts." Then John started to point out the other men, "The one sitting on Dean is Caleb Reeves. He sort of adopted Dean as a brother and he'll probably do the same to you. The two loud mouths are Bobby Singer and Joshua Martin. Again, brothers of mine…sort of. The tall, dark and silent guy is Rufus Turner, another brother of a kind." Seeing how scared Sam actually was, John went over and picked the small boy up. "Don't worry kiddo. Their bark is definitely worse than their bite. Once you get to know them, you'll like them. I promise and I promise none of them will hurt you, ever."

Sam nodded nervously then burrowed his head in John's neck. John was a bit worried. He could feel the shaking that ran through the small body so he excused himself to bring the child up to his bedroom. There, he sat on his bed and rocked Sam, singing under his breath. Hearing a slight sound, John looked up and saw Dean standing by the door with sorrow in his expressive eyes. John held out an arm and Dean ran to his completed family. They stayed that way for a very long time, drawing comfort in each other's presence.

After a while, John cleared his throat and asked, "Sam, do you think you want to try meeting everyone again?" Sam gave a slight nod and John stood up with the boys still in his arms. Putting them down, he escorted them downstairs to the living room where the other Hunters were seated and waiting.

"Aw, Johnny," Bobby said. "We're sorry. We forgot what you had said about Sammy." He then looked at the little boy behind John. "Can you forgive us, kid?" He smiled when Sam nodded then hid behind his new father. The other men looked worried at the child. They knew that he had some issues, both psychological and physical, due to the torture the Yellow-Eyed Demon had put him through at a very young age. Caleb also knew it but decided to take things into his own hands. Going over to the hiding child, he picked him up and started to swing him around.

"Hey Ace," he called, "your baby brother needs to some feeding. Kid's lighter than a kite! I swear a good wind could knock him over." Sam squeaked as he was swung. Then Caleb put him on the floor and proceeded to tickle him. Dean watched for a couple of seconds then joined in the fun by attacking the older boy.

"Sammy, help me teach this big lug a lesson!" he laughed. Sam agreed with his brother then started his own tickle attack.

"Help!" Caleb cried out as he was smothered by two tickling children.

John grinned then said, "Naw, you brought this on yourself. You get to get out of it yourself."

It was then that Missouri and Adell entered the room. Studying the situation for a minute, both women smiled to see Sam playing with the older boys. Clearing her throat, Missouri said, "Caleb Reeves, I oughta get my spoon! Picking on those poor boys like you are!" Caleb just gave a gargled reply while Sam, seeing his grandmother, ran over to give her a hug. Adell returned it with a kiss and smile.

"Are you having fun, angel?" she asked.

"Yessum. Grandma?"

"Yes baby?"

"Can Caleb, Dean and me go swimming in the pool? I promise we won't make a mess," Sam held his breath as he waited for his grandmother's answer.

"Have you asked your daddy?" Adell was determined to let him know that he had to ask John for permission.

Sam shook his head then turned to John, "Dad, can we go swimming?" John's eyes teared when Sam used the term dad. He knew that Sam wouldn't use the word unless he was getting comfortable with him. John looked over at Dean who had his jaw on the floor then he turned back to the little boy with pleading puppy dog eyes. The minute he saw them, he knew that he was in big trouble. There was no way he could say no to the child and he nodded.

"Just for a while and I want you to use some sun screen. Don't want you to burn now, do we?" John asked lightly. Sam smiled largely and, with Dean and Caleb on his tail, ran to his room to change leaving a roomful of astounded adults in his wake. "What just happened?" he asked no-one in particular.

Jim was thoughtful, "Healing."

_tbc_


	3. Chapter 3

_Warning-This chapter mentions underage incest but not between Sam and Dean. It is not graphic but may be triggering._

Chapter Three-The Meaning of Family

Sam's life had greatly improved. Now, he had a grandmother, a foster mother in Missouri, a new father and brother along with a new cousin and four new uncles who actually cared for him. Not like his other aunts, uncles and cousins who came over every month just to make him feel like scum just because of who his father was. It was a dream come true for the traumatized little boy. Dean was wonderful, someone who shared his gifts and never judged him. He had been helping with Sam's nightmares by sleeping in his bed and cuddling with him. Caleb, when he found out about the nightmares, had also moved into Sam's room which helped the child out. He was fast becoming another brother.

After his initial nervousness, Sam found himself growing closer with the other Hunters. Rufus was the one who actually broke through his reserves by just being there. His own quietness was a comfort to the boy who was raised in a home where voices were kept low for his comfort. Bobby and Josh took some time to get used to but they also chipped away at the wall he kept up and now were firmly in his heart. Jim was a hands-down winner, after Rufus, since he took it upon himself to read to Sam and talk about anything that was on his mind. Each man, in his own way, showed Sam how much he was wanted and loved.

It really didn't sink in until Brian, Mitchell, Brenda, Margery and their families came over for their monthly dinner. John and the other Hunters were out at Adell's storage shed, packing boxes of books and other sundries that she had given them into a U-Haul truck. Dean was asleep in their room so Sam was the only one around when they walked through the door. Bradley, his oldest cousin, immediately punched him in the stomach as Brian yelled out for Kari that they were there. "Hey freak! How ya doin'" he snarled happy to be by his favorite punching bag. Mentally, Sam cried out to Dean who then appeared as if by magic. Without being told what happened, he clenched his own fist and let fly into Bradley's face causing that boy's nose to spurt blood as it broke.

"Nobody hurts my baby brother like that," Dean snarled back.

"That murdering little freak doesn't have any brothers!" Bradley yelled while trying to stem the flow of blood.

"My _brother_ is _no_t a freak, asshole! And he is my brother! We chose him just like you abandoned him so back off or I'll break something else," Dean replied in a deadly tone which caused the other boy to whiten and back up. Dean got down by Sam and started to check him out. Finding a bruise, he picked Sam up and brought him to the kitchen where he got some ice to put on the injured site. Mitchell, Bradley's father, stormed into the kitchen, fuming, ready to take his anger out on the boys when John walked into the door.

Seeing a man advance on his sons, John stepped in front of him and pulled his gun. His eyes never left Mitchell as he asked, "Son, what's going on?"

"These assholes came barging in the house. A kid punched Sammy in the stomach and gave him a bad bruise. He was about to punch him again but I stepped in and got a shot out to his nose. Think I broke it, Dad. I'm sorry I let this happen," Dean said brokenly.

"Dean, you did okay, son. You stood up for your brother and got a bully off him. You did very good," John praised.

"What do you mean that kid did good?" Mitchell yelled. "He broke my son's nose!"

John glared at the man in front of him, "Dean protected his brother from being hurt. That means that he did what brothers should and he did a very good thing. As a father, you should be teaching your son the same thing. Not beating helpless and injured children like a bully. That isn't the message that any parent should teach their child."

"You should talk! Your kid is a menace and he probably learned it from you," Mitchell said with fire in his eyes. John took a step towards the man, gun in hand. Mitchell tried to stare him down but found that he couldn't. Furious, he slammed the door on his way out of the kitchen.

John sighed and put his gun away. Turning towards his family, he saw that Sam's eyes were wide with shock and fear. Oh, God, he thought, kid's afraid of me now. Going to the boys, he crouched down so he was at eye level with the younger boy, "Sammy, are you okay?" he asked softly. Sam nodded then quickly looked down. John looked up at Dean who nodded encouragingly. He smiled at his oldest then, turning his attention back to Sam, he put his finger under the young boy's chin to raise his head. "Sammy, don't be afraid kiddo. I'll never hurt you, I promise."

A voice tickled his mind and asked, _Why do you have a gun? _

"It's to keep you and Dean safe baby. Never to hurt you," John felt a glimmer of hope when Sam finally met his eyes and gave a small smile. "Do you understand?" Sam nodded then put his arms around John's neck and gave him a hug. John's eyes gleamed with tears as he looked at his oldest son. Holding an arm out, he gathered Dean into an embrace where the three of them stayed for quite a while. After a bit, John reluctantly let his boys go and stood up. "We need to get you cleaned up, Sammy. Why don't you and Dean go upstairs and get changed. Dean, make sure that bruise is the only injury Sammy has." Sam tensed up at that. Even though Dean had seen most of his scars it didn't mean he was comfortable with being checked over for other injuries. Dean felt Sam's worry and sent comforting thoughts his way. John, seeing that Dean had everything under control, patted his sons' shoulders then left them to confront the people in the other room. He didn't want Adell to be stressed and he had a feeling that her kids were here to do just that.

WWWWWWWWWWWW

When John finally calmed down, he joined the others and found that Jim and Bobby were attending to Bradley with Joshua standing behind them, one of Dean's shirts in his hands. "We thought that we should clean the kid up so he wouldn't stress Adell out," Jim replied to John's silent question. "Dean asked Kari to get one of his shirts saying that he was closer in size to the kid than either Caleb or Sam."

John nodded as Mitchell, with his brother and brothers-in-law, started forward to confront John. "Who the hell are you people and what are you doing in our mother's house?" was the question that spewed from Margery's mouth in a loud tone.

"We're cousins of Adell's and she invited us," John said, fudging the truth a bit.

Brian sneered, thinking he had caught John in a lie, "Mother's relatives are known to us and I don't remember your name on her Christmas card list. I don't know who you are but you are not a cousin."

John's face turned red at the insult of being called a liar. He was one second away from punching Brian when Adell's voice rang out, "That's because John and I have only just found each other. John is my cousin from my mother's side of the family. Brian, Mitchell, you are being rude and I will not tolerate it in my house. Apologize now and sit down." John took a quick look at the woman who had never spoken above a soft, loving tone. Now, her voice was sharp and cracking from the effort of being louder than usual. Her eyes were harder than they usually were. Under her icy gaze, the men mumbled an apology and John graciously accepted. Her voice softened as she said, "Good, that's been resolved. How have all you been doing? I'm sure your friends have kept you informed about my condition?" Her daughters flinched slightly at that but otherwise there was no reaction. "Now that the formalities have been shredded, I wish to introduce my children to my cousins. You know Missouri, correct?" Nods from her children and their families were seen. "This is Rufus Turner, James Murphy, Robert Singer, Joshua Martin, and, of course, John Winchester. Somewhere around is Caleb Reeves and Dean Winchester, they are probably with Sam at this time so you will be able to meet them later." Adell pointed to each person as she named them. Then she did the same for her children. "Brian, Mitchell and Sarah with their two children Bradley and Catherine, Margery and Anthony with their child Ashley, and Brenda and Kenneth with their three children Elizabeth, David, and Noah. Now, I expect you all to get along at least while you are under my roof…" Before she could go on, Sam, Dean and Caleb entered the room. The three boys' faces lit up when they saw her. They rushed over to her side to give her kisses and hugs then Sam carefully climbed into her lap. Out of the corner of her eye, Adell could see that her children were about to protest so she put her arm around the small child and held him close.

"Grandma, how are you doing today?" Dean asked. He had gotten into the habit of calling Adell grandma since Sam did. Like he had said, they were brothers so dad was dad to both of them and grandma was grandma to both of them also. Adell felt a rush of warmth when she had heard what he said.

"I'm doing fine, precious, and the three of you?" Adell smiled at her grandchildren.

"Fine Grandma," Caleb had also gotten into the habit of calling the older woman grandma. It was just natural for him to do and she welcomed it.

"And you, my angel?" Adell asked Sam who was currently snuggling into her chest. "How are you doing?"

Sam just shrugged and stayed on her lap. Adell was worried about how he was acting and she looked at Dean who had tears in his eyes, "It's nothing you can do about, Grandma," he said brokenly. "Just something he's feeling and it's hurting him."

Something clicked in Adell's mind when she heard that. She knew that Sam was feeling her pain and tiredness. It worried her how he would handle her death, especially after what Melissa had gone through and Jeffery being shot in front of him. "Baby, look at me," she asked softly. Sam looked up and into her eyes. "It's okay, angel. I'll always love you, no matter what, and I'll always be with you. Your momma, Aunt Mary and I will be watching over you along with the Angels." Sam's eyes shone with unshed tears and Adell hugged the small child tightly. Reaching over, she pulled Dean and Caleb both into the embrace and held them as they silently cried. Her children and their families watched uncomfortably. Then Bradley, Catherine, Ashley, Elizabeth, David, and Noah all went over to join the group hug. Adell's children and their spouses looked decidedly uncomfortable while the Hunters smiled gently at the picture of love that was in front of them.

For the rest of the afternoon, the two parts of Adell's family visited. She kept the conversation light and, somehow, had her children laughing with her telling stories of when they grew up. She didn't mention her eldest son, knowing that it was still a hurtful subject to everyone. When the caterers got to the house, Missouri and Bobby excused themselves to show the workers where to set up. Adell had ordered a large turkey dinner for the family with dessert of the pie kind since Dean had a love of the pastry. He had privately told her that his mom had made him pie a couple of times before she had been killed. She had also ordered chocolate cake since that was Sam's favorite. Caleb said he favored all sweets so it didn't really make a difference to him.

As they sat for dinner, Brian and Mitchell both grumbled about the food, Adell asked Pastor Jim to say the blessing. "Thank You Lord for this wonderful meal," Jim began. "Thank You for the new family we have found and thank You for Your blessings on us. We ask that You continue to bless us, watch over us and protect us from evil. Amen"

"Amen," was the response around the table. Then the feast began. Sam, sitting between John and Dean, ate more than he usually did under Dean's prompting. Dean had told him that eating food would help to put more muscles on his body, along with an exercise routine to make sure it didn't go to fat. John, hearing what his eldest son had told the new baby of the family, felt pride in Dean's ability to help Sam out. According to the doctor records that John had read, even with all the love and help that Adell had provided her grandson, he was still borderline malnourished. The new father knew about the doctors threatening to hospitalize Sam if he didn't start to eat and gain weight. When Dean found out about that, he made it one of his duties to make sure his new brother ate. He wouldn't tolerate any kind of separation between him and his baby brother.

Adell also watched Dean with his new brother. She was thrilled that he was the perfect brother for her beloved grandson and had been moved to tears the first time that Dean (and Caleb) called her grandma. Now, she grinned in approval as she watched Dean softly bully Sam into eating more. She loved watching Dean coaxing just "one more bite" out of Sam while her baby would roll his eyes and say he was full. It was only when Sam flashed his "bitchface", as Dean called it, that he would back off as that was the final signal that Sam was truly full.

WWWWWWWWWWWW

Adell was very tired. It had been a hard afternoon with her family, especially when she told them that John, with his friends' help, was to pack up and put in a truck all the furniture from his, Missouri's, Melissa's and Sam's room along with the rocking chair from Adell's. She had told them that the Winchesters and their friends were going to have some of the items in the attic along with all her jewelry except for a couple of necklaces that went to her daughters and the items of her husband's. The Winchesters were also to pack up the library and some of the knickknacks that meant a lot to Sam. Kari, her nurse, was to bring home the silver tea service that night as a part of her inheritance from Adell for all the faithful service she had provided.

Adell, in front of everyone so there would be no fighting, told Brian that he could have his childhood bedroom set along with the furniture from the family room. Mitchell got his bedroom set along with the furniture from the living room. Both of her daughters also received their sets with Brenda getting the dining room set and Margery was given the study furniture. The only items that got any kind of argument were Adell's wedding and engagement rings along with their father's wedding ring. Adell told her children that they were going to John to keep until Sam decided to marry. That caused a lot of arguing and loud noises that quieted suddenly when the piano (given to Ashley) decided to dance across the floor.

"Sammy?" Dean inquired.

"Sorry," the younger boy said. "I lost control."

"Something we'll have to work at," John joined the conversation, smiling at the young boy to show that he wasn't angry.

"Now that Sam has expressed his displeasure with all the arguing, I suggest that this conversation is at an end," Adell put in. "All of these points are in my will but I want to give everyone a chance to get used to the ideas. You may start to move your items out as soon as tomorrow but in an orderly fashion. I have already spoken to my doctors and have told them that I wish to move into Long-Term Care at the hospital until I die. You have until the end of the week to move everything since after I leave for my final home, the house will be locked up and the only way you will be able to get back in is with the sheriff and a copy of my will. I have already sent a map to the house showing which room goes to whom along with a list of the individual items." She then bade the whole room of people goodnight and left with Missouri walking beside her.

Adell knew her time was close. She was getting more and more tired. She felt a hurry to get her affairs in order and make sure that her beloved grandson would be taken care of so she decided to give everyone a week to get their things out of the house before she moved into the Care Unit at the hospital. She had already made arrangements with the doctors for another bed to be put in her room for Sam since she knew he wouldn't want to leave her side before she died. Smiling, she drifted to sleep wondering what kind of a man her baby would grow up to be. In her dreams, she could see Sam as a very tall young man with longish brown hair and hazel eyes that sparkled every time he smiled. She heard his voice, deep with a touch of being soft, one that would captivate any person's attention. She smiled all night, watching her baby in her dreams.

WWWWWWWWWWWW

The week was hard with many raised voices, especially when it came to arguing with Adell about who got what and why. She was adamant about the items that were given to whom and wouldn't budge. Brenda and Margery both tried to argue with her about her wedding ring set but she stood firm, reminding both of her daughters that they have their own sets that they could choose to pass down to their daughters. Mitchell was cold to his new found family while Brian kept quiet, drinking and plotting. Both men had seen Adell's and their own lawyers regarding the will. They were told by all three court officers that, unless Adell had been ruled as non-compos mentis before she made out her will, her last requests were iron-clad. Mitchell had left the lawyers with a threat of contesting the will. Brian had also left but he went to a bar to drink and think about how he was going to get his "fair share" as he saw it. Especially since he had found out that any share of the money that would have been his was to go to his ex-wife and his child.

Ever since his big brother had been killed, Brian felt bereft. Of all his siblings, Jeffery had been very close to his younger brother, closer than what society would look upon with any kind of tolerance. After Brian had turned thirteen, his big brother started to slip into his bed at night, when everyone had fallen asleep. Brian had been very lonely in his large family with Mitchell going out all the time with his friends and girlfriends while their sisters had lives of their own they were leading. Jeffery gave the young boy some much needed love and companionship. Neither one of them cared that it was illegal and wrong, they just cared that they were loved. When Jeffery got Melissa pregnant, Brian had been wildly jealous. Nothing Jeffery could say would help the feeling of betrayal that lodged itself within Brian. It was then he began to drink. Don't get him wrong about his family. His father was there for him and his brothers but it seemed that Mitchell would manipulate all his father's time like his sisters did to their mother, leaving Brian out in the cold. Jeffery had been the only one to keep him grounded otherwise he would have run off years ago.

Brian hated Melissa for taking his brother from him by getting pregnant. Jeffery had left soon after Melissa started to live at the house. Brian kept drinking harder each month until he decided to do his own escaping and got married. While Jeffery was killing all those women and their kids, Brian and his wife had their own child whom he named Dillon Jeffery, DJ for short. It had hurt when his wife left him, taking their child with her but it shattered Brian when he heard that Jeffery had been shot by the police while trying to kill his own son. Brian thought that Melissa had deserved to die for taking his brother from him and the child, Sam, deserved to die because he was the reason that Jeffery started to kill those women and children in the first place. Now, Sam was inheriting things from _his_ mother after killing _his_ brother. Sam now had a father, a mother figure, a brother, many uncles and a cousin that was just as close as a brother while Brian had lost his father, brother and was close to losing his mother.

Picking up the drink in front of him, he slammed it down and called for another. As he waited, Brian Wesson vowed that he would make sure that Sam Winchester would not enjoy his new life. Sam Winchester would die and by his own hand in retribution for his brother whose life the kid had taken. Brian didn't look up as the drink was put in front of him. If he had, he would have seen the bartender's eyes flash yellow.

WWWWWWWWWWWW

One Month Later-

Adell woke up in the middle of the night and looked at her beautiful grandson sleeping next to her. Tears started to fall out of her eyes as she realized why she woke up. It was her time to leave. She didn't want to since it meant that Sam would not be with her, under her protection but she knew that John and Dean, along with the rest of their family, would love and protect him for her. Adell watched Sam sleep until she felt another presence was in the room with them. Looking up, she saw a slight young woman with short, brown hair and a nice smile.

"It's time, isn't it?" Adell asked the woman unafraid, knowing she was a Reaper.

"Yes, I'm sorry," the woman answered.

"Why can't I stay here with him until it's his time to die?" Adell wondered.

"You could, I guess. There are others who chose to stay with their loved ones but that choice causes troubles for the family they love. The family doesn't heal well, if at all and you would be hurting them if you stay. Even if they do manage to heal, you would grow to resent that fact that they could live without you in their lives. You would see that as a betrayal to you and your memory," the woman stated. "In that state, you would become vengeful and hurt them badly."

Adell nodded her thanks for the frank information. She never had any use with people who tried to pretty up bad news. It always felt like a lie to her. Adell never really thought about staying on after she died, no matter how she felt. She loved her grandson too much to do that to him since she had heard what happened to families whose ancestors haunted them and she would never put that kind of pain on her baby. He meant too much for her to be that selfish. She carded her fingers through his hair for the last time then she kissed his forehead, "I love you very much, my precious angel, never forget that. I'll be watching over you with your momma and aunt next to me. Goodbye, Sammy." She smiled at him one more time then closed her eyes. The Reaper watched over the pair for a second then Adell appeared next to her.

"Ready?" the woman inquired.

"No but it's time. Can you let him know how much I loved him and that I will miss him?" Adell asked, tears again threatened to fall.

"Adell, he knows. He will always feel your love in his heart," the Reaper said. Then she took Adell's hand and they walked out of the room leaving the small boy curled next to the shell of his beloved grandmother.

A nurse, responding to the alarms that had gone off at her station, quietly entered the room. Confirming that Adell had passed, she picked up the phone and called John's number to let him know to come and get Sam. The staff had been warned not to touch the little boy since he startled and panicked easily. They had also been told to let John and Dean tell him about Adell when she died. After a month of getting to know the small boy, the staff readily agreed. The nurse smiled sadly at the child then went to wait for John and Dean's arrival.

_tbc_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four-Of Sorrow, Pain and Healing

John looked at his baby boy and wanted to cry. Ever since Adell had passed, Sam withdrew into himself and wouldn't come out. His doctors, having been told what happened, gave John some new medication to try on the child but all they did was make Sam sleepy so John stopped giving them to the child. Missouri, when she tried to reach Sam, said that he had buried himself deep in a part of his psyche so he didn't have to hurt. She reminded John that Sam's whole world since Jeffery had tried to kill him had been Adell and now that world was gone, ripped out from under his feet. Missouri advised John to give him some time and space. He would come back, she said but he would need lots of support from him and Dean.

Dean was the only one who seemed to be able to reach Sam but not without challenges. He also told John that Sam had buried himself but he said that he wouldn't let his baby brother hide for very long. John had seen some of the sessions that Dean held with Sam and they were _different_. Dean would get both of them on the bed and he would sit behind his brother, pulling him to his chest to hold him tight. Then, Dean's eyes would go blank as he went into Sam's psyche to look for him. John had observed these sessions so many times that he found he could tell when Dean was able to locate his brother. Sam's fingers would twitch very slightly while Dean's forehead would furrow in concentration. After a bit, Dean would come out of his trance, his eyes clearing to give John a signal that his oldest was back with him then he would gather Dean into his arms, rocking slightly as the teen held his baby brother, humming Mary's favorite song under his breath.

Adell's funeral had been a horrifying event for the family. First, Sam broke down and started to cry during the ceremony so badly that Dean had to take him out of the church. Then, Mitchell and Brian, along with their brothers-in-law, had told John that they were contesting Adell's will, something that she had foreseen. John was never so happy with the arrangements and monies she had given them that wasn't listed in the will. The only thing that really seemed to be under contest was Adell's rings which was now sitting in a safe at John's lawyer's office. The lawyer John had chosen knew about the supernatural world and worked to keep Hunters out of prison or worse since the work they did sometimes resulted in dead humans or destroyed property. He had studied under some of the great lawyers and John had great faith in him. The lawyer assured John that the Wallaces and their brothers-in-law would not get the rings or even be able to overturn Adell's will but it would take a while to clear up.

The one thing that had really bugged John was the way that Brian Wallace kept staring at Sam at the funeral. He tried to shield the young boy from the older man's sight but when Sam started to panic, Brian grinned. John was worried that Brian may have been possessed but he had been on Holy Ground which everyone knew repelled demons. John knew that Dean had also noticed Brian's unwanted attention and he too got between the man and his baby brother. When Sam had to be taken out of the church, Dean was the one who took him to the Impala where he had stashed a gun, just in case, since John had refused to let his son bring a gun into the sanctuary. When the service was done and the mourners were going to the graveside for the burial, John went but left the boys in the car. Brian, who had lingered behind everyone, watched the boys until Dean noticed him staring. He grinned again then went to the grave for the final service for his mother.

After the graveside service was done, most of the people went back for the libation but John decided he needed to get to the boys and Sam needed to be seen by a doctor. When he got to the Impala, he found Sam sleeping with his head on Dean's lap while his oldest had his hand on the gun. John got into the car and drove to the clinic where he had the doctor give Sam a shot. It was then that the Winchesters really found out how Sam felt about shots. The young boy had a massive panic attack and ended up falling into unconsciousness. The doctor hooked the boy up to an IV and put him on oxygen. After the doctor left the small family, Dean crawled into bed and curled up behind his brother, being careful of the IV and oxygen tube.

While Sam slept, Dean and John talked about their next move. Comparing notes, they decided to leave town after Sam woke up. Neither one of them trusted Brian and they wanted their baby far away from danger as possible. John went to the motel room he had been staying with Dean and packed their gear. Then he went back to the clinic to wait until Sam woke up. While John was at the motel, Dean was able to get the doctor to write prescriptions for Sam for anxiety and depression to be filled at the local pharmacy. Dean had also asked for and received a copy of the day's treatment to be put in Sam's medical file.

Sam finally woke up around dinner time. John had gone out to a café and brought the boys some food and drinks. Dean ate with gusto but Sam only picked at his sandwich. Finally, Sam rewrapped his sandwich and told his family that he would eat it later. Dean hugged the small boy as John packed the remaining food in a bag. The family left the clinic soon afterwards, stopping only long enough to get the prescriptions filled. After that, they were on their way to their new home where the others were waiting with the three trucks full of additional items that Adell had given to them.

WWWWWWWWWWWW

It took them three days to get to their new home. John made frequent stops along the way so as to not overwhelm Sam who hadn't been raised on the road, like Dean. The small boy, though, was withdrawn and very quiet. Dean told his father that Sam was even quiet telepathically. The only thing he could give John to go on was that Sam was feeling deeply upset at Adell's passing and very guilty. When John asked what he meant by Sam feeling guilty, Dean explained that Sam felt that everyone who loved him died, like his mother and now his grandmother. It saddened John to think of that kind of burden on such tiny shoulders. He remembered his own guilty feelings when Mary was killed and he almost lost his son. Dean's insights, though, made it easier for the older man to understand his new son and help him.

John made it a point to interact with Sam as much as possible, showing him that love didn't mean someone was going to die. At first, Sam withdrew from his new father. He was unsure about the man even though he had gotten used to and started to love John. Then there was the fact that John was a man, just like his father, and Sam was still very skittish around men. Gradually, though, he started to thaw to John again, hugging and clinging to him whenever possible. He still didn't talk but John still took his victories wherever he got them.

When they finally got to their new home, John and Dean's jaws hit the ground-hard! It was a three story old fashioned farmhouse with an attached garage which was a new addition. The garage itself was large enough to store three cars and a truck. Inside the house, the Winchesters found a very large kitchen, living room, den, master bedroom with a connecting bathroom and half-bath for general use on the ground floor. On the second floor, they found eight bedrooms each with en-suite bathroom. Each room had a walk-in closet and they were already furnished, like the rooms downstairs. The third floor had the last two bedrooms and one large bath that connected them. There were closets in each room along with storage closets across from the rooms. Searching the basement, they found the laundry room, storage room and workspace for projects or training.

When asked by John which room the boys wanted, Dean spoke up and said they wanted the ones on the third floor. What he actually liked was the connecting bathroom which allowed Dean to be close to Sam but he also had his own room, something he hadn't had since his mother died. Sam really didn't care which room he had, they were just rooms not like the one he had called his own in Adell's home. Dean just ruffled the younger boy's hair and then started to help Sam put all his stuff in his new room. After they got Sam's room finished, Dean started to go into his own room but was stopped by a hand on his arm. He looked at Sam and felt the younger boy's fear.

"Okay, Sammy," he said aloud, "let's set up my bed. Just so you know, any posters we put up need to have my approval. Girls, cars, and bands are usually the best." Sam grinned for the first time since Adell's death and Dean felt a thrill. He knew that he had just made a very sad boy happy. He grinned back as they started to unpack his stuff. They moved the furniture around so they could bring in the other bed. After three hours, they finally had the room the way they both liked. Dean's bed was by the door. He explained to Sam that he needed to be there so he could guard his baby brother…something all big brothers did. Sam's was by the windows only after Dean put down protective salt and sigils. They put the television and VCR on a bureau, positioning them so both boys could see it. Dean's side was decorated with his weapons, posters and stereo while Sam's had his books, computer with desk and the small mementos he had from before. On the wall behind the beds, the boys put up a shelf which had the pictures of Mary, Melissa and Adell with a couple of candles and a vase, a shrine to their lost loved ones. Dean put his mother's wedding and engagement rings on it. Sam did the same with his mother's necklace that she always wore. In the middle was a space for Adell's ring set when they got them back from the attorney.

There were a couple more items that John had no idea they had: Sam had a teddy bear that Melissa had given him and Dean had a stuffed dog that John had found in the Impala after the fire. Both animals were given a place of honor, a shelf under the shrine to their mothers and grandmother. The last items to be placed were pictures of Dean and his Dad; Dean, Sam, John, and Missouri; the whole family which included Sam and Adell along with Dean, John, Missouri, Jim, Bobby, Caleb, Rufus, and Joshua. The rocker that Adell had given to Sam was now gracing their bedroom, near his bed. The room was big enough that Dean declared since Sam had his own chair, he wanted an easy chair of his own.

When they were done with the bedroom, they went to the bathroom and started to unpack it. Like Dean said, a place for everything and everything in its place. The second room was earmarked for a study and it would have another bed, in case Caleb came over for a few days. They would need to buy a couple of desks and bring up another bed for him. Dean took note of the small things they would need: lamps, clocks, bed stands and chairs. They needed blankets, more pillows, sheets, towels and other sundries. While they worked, it finally hit Dean…he had a home of his own, a room that he would always sleep in and a baby brother to love. It was Adell's second greatest gift to the weary, hurting child, the first being Sam.

After moving into their house and unpacking, which took a week, John started the tedious process of transferring the bank funds to the local banks, registering both boys in the school system. Because of Sam's problems, he arranged for tutors to come to the house to homeschool both boys since he knew that Dean had become so attached to the younger boy he would refuse to leave him just to go to school. Then he had to find doctors for both boys since Sam still had many health issues. Luckily, he found that the clinic and hospital in town was very good and the staff really cared for their patients. Because of Sam's issues, the pediatrician offered to make house calls, something that had been stopped because of malpractice problems. It was only when the young child would need shots or x-rays that the doctor said he would have to see Sam in the clinic.

John had called all the others and told them that they had to "get their asses over to the house and set up their own rooms." Jim and Bobby were the first to take up John's generous invitation. When they got to the house, Bobby immediately found the room he liked and set it up with books, pictures and other knickknacks. He also bought a very comfortable chair, loveseat and lamps to go in the room. Jim found a room that he liked, one with a western exposure, and started to put in some of his own personal items such as books, weapons, spell components, an easy chair and reading lamp. He had thought about it then brought his mother's quilt and grandmother's afghan for cold nights.

Missouri was next and she took the bedroom next to John's, one with a connecting door that the two of them had a tacit agreement never to mention. Her room was one of light and flowers everywhere. She brought the items she had inherited from Adell to be put into the household. The Harvelles were offered three rooms. They came up one weekend to check them out and fix them the way they wanted. Ash was into tech and games so his room had a computer, game system and a stereo system that made the others order him to wear headphones at all times. Jo's room was more of a girly room, according to Dean. She had brought some of her dolls, stuffed animals and books.

Josh bought a kit that allowed him to build a weapons cache in his room and lock it so the kids couldn't get into it. Then he decorated his room with his favorite bands, cars and girls. John, seeing what his friend set up just shook his head and muttered something about the oldest teenager ever. Josh just stuck his tongue out and kept decorating to his heart's content. Caleb, taking the room next to the boys, had put in a waterbed (the bed that Dean had moved into the room got put into storage), a large screen television and a stereo. Because he was older, he also put in some soundproofing, just in case he brought home a lady friend, as he put it.

For John Winchester, it was like a hole that had been in him ever since Mary's death had been filled three times over. He had a home, two boys, many brothers, a sister, a lady friend, a niece and two terrific nephews. Life was glorious but, he knew, there were always speed bumps and pot holes in the road of Life. He knew that sooner or later, his family would encounter one of them. He started to prepare as best as he could by beginning to train Sam and keeping Dean's own training up. He made sure the whole grounds were warded and charmed against all supernatural creatures and wished there was something he could do to ward against harm from humans.

WWWWWWWWWWWW

Brian found that he loved his new friend, yellow eyes and all, especially after finding out the man had known his brother before he was killed. The same thing that been broken in his brother was also broken in Brian but in a different way. Brian had been able to control the darkness in him for years but now, with his friend, Azzie, pushing him, it came out hungry and ready for action. His first victims were prostitutes and street people since no one really cared about them. Azzie hid the bodies but instructed Brian how to cut and make his "toys" scream prettily. Then, one of Azzie's friends by the name of Alastair joined the party and showed Brian some new skills dealing with ropes, blow torches and other neat toys.

Azzie, or Azazel, listened and watched with something that was akin to joy. He reveled in the fact he was building a human demon, one who would not be affected by iron or other protective sigils and wards. He was the one that would help Azazel kill off most of the Winchester circle by breaking the protections that served to keep Winchester and the rest safe from him. Inwardly, he snarled every time he thought about that tight-knit extended family. When Jeffery Wallace invited Azazel into him, he thought he had hit on the best weapon against them yet. Wallace was the son of two people who were part of that family but the part who had been kept in the dark. Adell was the daughter of a Winchester while Wallace, himself, was actually related to that priest, Jim Murphy. Even the spouses of Jeffrey's siblings were actually children of that cursed family circle. Brenda had married a Reeves, Margaret a Martin, Brian had married into the Campbell family and his other brother, Mitchell was married to a Harvelle bitch. And the best thing was they were all part of the non-combatant part of the family, those who had been left in the dark. Easy pickings, as far as Azazel was concerned, but he was cautious since he had the same notion about the others and look how well that turned out, those victims of his became the best hunters out of the whole family.

Because of Mary's death, John Winchester raised his son Dean in the business and both of them made a name for themselves, one that was guaranteed to strike fear in most supernatural hearts. Missouri Mosley was a stronger psychic now than if no tragedy had ever struck her family while the same could be said of Caleb Reeves. Rufus Turner and Bobby Singer both had someone close to them die because of demons and it made them ruthless in their Hunts. Joshua Martin had to watch his wife and daughter die as demons laughed while carving them up. Azazel had taken care of the demons himself since they had left Martin alive to wreak havoc on their kind. Even the seemingly soft Jim Murphy and the Harvelles were forces to be reckoned with, thanks to Hell trying to kill them. The only one who was the weak link, as far as Azazel was concerned, was Jeffery's own child, Sam. It was through Sam that Azazel planned to take out the family who had been a thorn in his side for centuries.

First, though, Brian needed to pass a test, one that was designed to see how far the man had come. His target was Brian's ex-wife, her new husband and child. And Brian's own son, Dillon. It was night when Brian snuck into his ex's house and tied her and her husband up. Then he went to look for the children only to find they were not there. He asked his ex about them while he tortured her and she refused to tell him anything as did her husband. Frustrated, Brian finally slit their throats and started the house on fire. By the time the fire department got there, the whole place was ablaze.

What Brian didn't know was that the children had been visiting one of their Campbell cousins. When the news of the deaths came to the cousins, they decided to send the children to one of the safest places they knew about: John Winchester's house. Even though he now had two more traumatized children on his hands, John knew he could help them better now that he had gone through the same thing with his own son and, to a lesser extent, Sam. At first, John was worried how Sam would take having his cousins in the same house as he lived in, but his fears were soon laid to rest as the youngest Winchester hugged them and helped them live through their trauma. Because of that, the Campbell cousins helped John adopt the children for his own. Now, he was the father of Dean, Dillon-9, Brittany-5, and Sam.

Brian and Azazel planned their next targets: Mitchell, Sarah, Bradley and Catherine. Brian watched the family carefully to get a feel for the rhythm of their lives. He chose a night where the family was usually together, a Wednesday, to strike. Since he wasn't close to his brother and wife, he didn't know that it was Sarah's birthday and Mitchell had his kids stay over at Sarah's cousin Ellen's, for the night. By now, Brian really didn't care if anyone answered his questions under torture he just did it for the fun of it. He found he really enjoyed having his brother scream at a high pitched tone as he skinned the man alive in front of his restrained wife. It took Mitchell and Sarah hours to die while Azazel stood in the corner, watching his protégé work and smiling. After the two were dead, Azazel transported himself and Brian out of the house as flames started to devour the bodies, spreading its destructive path until the whole structure was engulfed.

When Ellen heard of the fire and death of her cousin, she wondered what she would do with Sarah's children. Ellen had just lost her husband, a month after they had set up their room at John's, to a demon and she was trying to pull her life together along with raising a little girl and her foster son. She felt overwhelmed and called Jim Murphy to ask for help. He had an interesting suggestion. He told her that John had adopted another little boy and girl recently. Jim said that John's house was large enough to add two more children to the mix. When Ellen voiced her concerns that John may not want two more children, she could almost hear Jim's smile over the phone when he told her not to worry since he knew he could talk John into it. Mystified but also relieved for the solution, she agreed to have Jim talk to John about taking Bradley and Catherine into his household. It took a week before Jim came back to her with John's agreement.

Again, it wasn't Sam who had a problem with his cousins moving in though Dean did. Dean still hadn't forgiven Bradley for the punch to Sam's stomach the first time they met. Dean also wasn't thrilled with the idea of Catherine, whom he had found out had teased Sam mercilessly in the past. John, Jim and Missouri all argued with him about helping Sam's cousins but his mother grizzly back was up and nothing they could say would get him to change his mind about letting any kind of danger come close to his baby brother. It was Sam himself who saved the day.

A couple of days after the adults had asked Dean about having his cousins live with them, Sam saw his brother sitting on his bed in their room. He sighed and went to sit next to Dean. Feeling the pain that was coursing through Dean as well as a huge amount of love and protectiveness towards him, Sam put his arms around Dean and, laying his head on Dean's shoulder, he said, "Thank you, big brother. I'm really lucky to have you in my life and I wish others could know how great you are."

Dean looked at the top of Sam's head and gave him a kiss. Then he wrapped his own arms around his brother and they sat like that for a long time, basking in the love they had for each other. Because of their bond, Dean could hear what Sam was thinking and feel what he wanted, even if it cost the younger boy his own feeling of safety. After a while, Dean asked aloud, "You sure?"

"Not really but they need somewhere to go and besides, you are here with me and I know that you won't let anything happen to me," Sam replied honestly.

They sat in silence for a few more minutes then Dean said, "I'll let Dad know they can come but if they hurt you or even look sideways at you, I'll…well…I'll…"

Sam looked up at his brother and grinned, "I get it, okay. You don't have to spell it out or even try to tiptoe your way to say that you would tear them a new one. Girly much?"

"You take that back!" Dean cried in mock anger. He was very happy to see how far Sam had come out of his shell, even if it only showed while they were alone. He grinned evilly and attacked Sam, tickling the little boy until he shrieked with laughter. John came into the room having eavesdropped on his sons after coming up to let them know that it was time to eat. He stood in awe at the sound of Sam's laughter then decided to help the child out. Dean didn't see his Dad sneak up on him until it was too late and he felt John's fingers on his own ticklish spots. Sam, seeing the tide turned in his favor, helped John attack Dean until a voice in the doorway threatened all three of them with a spoon. Guiltily, John looked up as two of his sons giggled while he held them down. Missouri stood watching the three of them with a grin on her face and told them all to get cleaned up and go down for dinner. John grinned back at her and hustled the boys into their bathroom. After dinner, Dean told the astonished family that he would like Bradley and Catherine to join their family.

Room rearrangement was needed. Ellen gave her and Bill's room up for Bradley and Dillon while Jo decided to share her room with Catherine and Brittany. Missouri thanked the grieving child but told her that she would not lose her room. Caleb, when he found out about the new arrivals, moved his bed into Sam and Dean's room while Missouri finally moved into John's room. Catherine and Jo roomed together leaving Brittany in her own room. It was explained to the two older girls that, since they had more in common with each other, it would be easier for them to stay in the same room. Brittany, since she was so much younger than the other two, would just drive either one of them crazy. Dillon and Bradley moved into Caleb's old room with Bradley being warned about hurting Sam in any way, shape or form. With the new people in the house, John made arrangements for additions to be built to his home.

Missouri was worried. Two families who were related to Jeffery Wallace had been killed and their homes burned. Quietly, she asked Rufus and Joshua to look into Margery and Brenda's family then she asked Bobby to check up on Brian. Her fears, unfortunately, were not unfounded. Rufus got to Margery's only in time to save Ashley. Margery and her husband died in the fire that engulfed their home while Ashley was tied up in her room. When Rufus asked the girl what happened, she said that she woke up and her Uncle Brian was in her room. He tied her up then went to her parent's room which was across the hall from her. He grinned as he opened their door, showing her the knife he carried. He closed the door then, after a couple of minutes, Ashley heard her parents scream. After two solid hours of screams, Ashley said that she had heard a gurgling sound which Rufus knew was her parents' throats being cut and them dying. He didn't tell that to the young girl he had just dragged out of her burning home. She started to cry harshly for the loss of her parents and Rufus just held her, wondering what to do. Like Jim, he decided the best place for her was the Winchester home. It was safe from demonic attacks but not from human ones. As he held the now sleeping child, Rufus got his phone out and called a friend who had a business that sold guard dogs and Hunter's dogs. He explained what he needed and his friend said he had a pair of dogs that would fit the bill. Rufus could pick them up on his way to John's place, he was told.

Joshua was a bit luckier than Rufus in that he got there before the killer. After getting a call from Rufus regarding Margery's family and what Ashley had said about Brian, he hurried over to Brenda's house. Even though Kenneth scoffed at Joshua's warning about Brian, Brenda didn't. She remembered what Jeffery had been like and she was worried. Not only that, but after she had met the Hunters, Brenda started to look into the world her family was kept out of, the supernatural. She had read about demon possession and found that there were seven stages of demonic influence: temptation, external physical pain, diabolical obsession, diabolical oppression, diabolical infestation, demonic possession, and diabolical subjugation. Since demons needed to be invited in, even if it was indirect by the victim, Brenda believed that Jeffery had been possessed by a demon. Everything fit and now this Hunter, Joshua Martin, who was a new member of her family, was telling her that Brian was at least influenced by that same demon. She was afraid for her children and was working out a plan as Kenneth laughed in Joshua's face.

Kenneth, after he told Joshua to leave and never come back, walked out of the room leaving Brenda alone with the Hunter. She looked down and said quietly, "I want the children to be safe."

"I'll do my best but what about you and your husband?" Joshua asked the trembling woman.

"I need to be here to distract Brian but the kids need to be gone. Do you…do you think that John would mind raising them?" Brenda asked softly.

"No, he wouldn't," Joshua said, biting the inside of his cheek. He knew that John may have some problems taking in more kids but he also knew that Jim would be able to talk the man into it, guilt him if need be.

"Good. I'm going to tell Kenneth that the kids have something to do tonight. You need to be ready at the end of the driveway to receive them and drive them to John's. I'm going to pack everything that they love and put a check in Elizabeth's bag. There will be a letter with the check for the courts releasing my children to John's care so he can adopt them." The front door slammed as Kenneth left the house. Brenda smiled at the sound then she said, "Let's go pack the kids' stuff up and put it in your car. That way, all they'll have to worry about is an overnight bag." Joshua nodded and felt a warmth in his soul for the strength of the woman in front of him.

After they got the packing done, Joshua insisted that Brenda get an anti-possession tattoo done over her heart but because there wasn't much time, he got out the henna kit that he carried with him and traced the pattern in henna in the area he told her about. It was while he was doing that that Brenda confessed that she had found out Kenneth had a mistress. Brenda decided to divorce him and had the papers drawn up. When Joshua said he was sorry about that, she just laughed bitterly and said that Kenneth only married her for her inheritance. He had been unfaithful to her for years but, since Adell had died, his indiscretions were now in the open. Brenda said that he wouldn't even know the kids were gone if he came home but she wanted a cover story just in case he wasn't visiting his mistress that night.

After Joshua was done with the henna tattoo, Brenda asked him if he did hypnosis. When he replied that he did, she asked him to hypnotize her so that when the children left the house that night, she would forget her conversation with him and believe that her children were sleeping in their rooms. Brenda had tears in her eyes when she made her request and Joshua got up from his chair to give her a hug. In her heart, she was as much of a Hunter as he was.

That night, Joshua waited at the bottom of the driveway until three children left the house. They came over to the car and got in with the oldest, Elizabeth, in the front and the twins, David and Noah, in the back. All three had tears in their eyes but they trusted their mother and knew that Joshua would do everything in his power to keep them safe. Their pet, a Golden Retriever named Bones, had already been sent to John's house. Brenda had arranged with their vet to ship the dog so the children would have part of their former lives with them along with the photo album and a few items they loved. Brenda had made sure each child was taken care of by giving Joshua all the paperwork, school transcripts and medical/dental records so John had an idea of what was going on with them. As Joshua pulled away from the house, the three children watched their house disappear into the distance. The twins cried until they fell asleep but Elizabeth's eyes were dry even though she too was grieving.

It wasn't until they were a few hours away from John's house and stopped for gas that Joshua had a chance to see the news. The three children were waiting in the car and he was eternally grateful that they didn't see the report of the house fire that had claimed their parents' lives. When they got to John's, they were welcomed warmly into the now crowded house. John didn't have the heart to deny these children anything so he made them feel part of his now very large family.

Rooms had to be rearranged again. John and Missouri now took the master bedroom on the ground floor for their own. Originally, it was to have been kept as a guest room but they couldn't afford to do that now. Brittany now shared with Elizabeth, even though Elizabeth was one of the oldest of the children and Brittany was the youngest. Jo and Catherine decided to change their room to the one that connected with the other two. It was larger than their original room and they invited Ashley to share with them. David and Noah now took over the room that the girls had just vacated. John thanked the memory of Adell for all the bathrooms the house held even if there still weren't enough of them.

Because of the danger that Brian represented to the children of the family and their parents, Ellen and her kids moved permanently into John's house. It had been Missouri's idea and John agreed wholeheartedly. He didn't want to see a friend and sister killed if he could do anything about it. With Ellen's arrival, the house started to settle even more. Missouri was the head after John but Ellen was their lieutenant, especially when it came to the girls since John had no idea how to raise them. John was surprised that two very strong willed women could get along in one house but Missouri explained to him that since Ellen had bought another bar using the proceeds from the sale of the Roadhouse, she was out of the house for most of the day so no toes were stepped on. They also had an agreement about chores and disciplining the children, one which they made sure John was aware of.

Jim made a couple of really good suggestions for the three parents. He said that if a child had gotten into trouble or if there were arguments, the parents needed to take the child(ren) aside for a conference. If a punishment was called for, the parents had to agree as to what the punishment was then enforce it. With so many kids running around, he said, the adults needed to present a united front. The other suggestion he made was that the parents were to put up a schedule of chores and a list of rules for everyone to follow so there would be no mistaking what was needed. The chores, he said, should be age appropriate and rotated so everyone had to do a bit of everything.

Mary's Aunt Dora decided to help John with the homeschooling he thought would be safer for the children. She sent a couple of Campbell cousins who were teachers to educate the kids. John had let one teacher, who taught the kids 11 and up, use the study while the other teacher, who taught the kids from Brittany (5) to Sam's age (10). Sam still had his own tutor since he still had a problem trusting most people. It was actually a very good move since Sam was studying at Dean's age level and beyond. Dora also made sure that a doctor who knew about Hunting was on call at all times for the Winchester clan. When the flu swept through the household, John was more than grateful for her kind and thoughtful idea.

John found out that the Campbells had put out the news about Brian and the demon targeting the noncombatants and the vulnerable of the families. The town by which he had settled saw a population boom as families moved close to the Winchester home. The Reeves and Murphys made sure the whole town was surrounded by blessed, salted iron in the shape of a demon trap while the Martins put rosaries in the water system to bless the town's supply. Two new ministers moved into town and took over an abandoned church. They were Jonah Winchester and Robert Harvelle, both hunters. New businesses were opened up by the families to make sure there was work enough for the new people while the school personnel were checked carefully for any demonic possession. It wasn't unheard of for one of the new people to mutter "Christo" while walking down the street, passing others on the way to their own daily lives. Short of putting a wall around the little town, the families made sure their most vulnerable members were safe.

_tbc_

_A/N-The information on the types of demonic influence was gotten from the internet._


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five-A Season of Happiness

In the next few months, John adjusted to being the father of not one, not two but ten children all under the age of seventeen not to mention being foster father to two others. Catherine and Elizabeth were the oldest at sixteen, then came Bradley at the age of fifteen, Dean was next in line at fourteen with Ashley at the age of twelve. The younger children were Sam being ten, Dillon was nine, the twins David and Noah were seven which left Brittany the youngest at five. Jo and Ash were nine and eight respectively. Because there were so many children, John had the construction sped up as fast as possible (the construction company was owned by Darius Reeves and Thomas Winchester) so the new rooms would be done before the weather changed.

The house now was a three story home with an atrium in the middle. The girls and Bradley all got their own rooms while the four youngest split two rooms. The twins still roomed together which left Dillon and Ash to room together. Caleb, Sam and Dean kept their original rooms since it was easier on Sam that way. John had found out the hard way how Sam hated abrupt changes to his life. When the other children came to live with them, Sam started to have night terrors so bad that Dean had to sleep in the same bed with him again. More bathrooms and closets had been added along with making the kitchen and laundry room larger to accommodate all the new people. The living room had been expanded and more couches were added.

But, with more people came the real problems of fights as they tried to learn how to live with each other. Personalities clashed as the children tested John, Missouri and Ellen but it all stopped when Sam, who couldn't take loud voices, started to throw the furniture around telekinetically. Dean again was able to calm his young brother down but Sam's nerves couldn't take any more of the fighting. He hid himself in their room and refused to come out. Not even Missouri or John could talk the child out. It took Dean and Ashley a very long time to talk him into leaving the safety of his room. Ashley, because she had the same kind of trauma, was very sympathetic to her new brother and stayed by Sam's side glaring at the others for yelling. That incident reminded everyone how fragile Sam still was and now there was another traumatized child in the house. After that, a new rule was posted forbidding any kind of yelling in anger. Talking was now the norm.

The children had a meeting while Sam, Dean and Ashley were dealing with Sam's meltdown. It was agreed among them that the other three needed to be handled with care. Dean's trauma came out in anger while Ashley's was in crying. Sam, though, was the one who everyone was worried about. He had started to withdraw from everyone, even John. The only ones he hadn't drawn away from were Ashley, Dean and Caleb. The kids made a plan to help their new siblings out.

Bradley started the ball rolling by asking Dean to train him in some of the martial arts he had seen his brother do. After he did, the others wanted Dean to train them also. It was a real boost to Dean and a load of worry off of his shoulders since he had been trained to help people and protect them from the supernatural. John had watched for a while then came in to help his son train the others. Soon, even Sam and Ashley were training with the group. From the physical training, they went on to weapons training and learning Latin which Jim taught. Missouri kept her psychic lessons going with Dean, Sam and Caleb but now they were joined by Dillon and Brittany who both showed signs of psychic abilities. It was Bobby, Joshua and Rufus who taught the kids about the tools of the trade: rosaries, salt, iron, and other things while Caleb taught them about the supernatural creatures they might encounter. John mourned the loss of their innocence so very early in their lives but knew the training and lessons might someday save them and other people.

When it came to learning how to research a hunt, Sam was the surprising master. Not only was he the best at the computer, second only to Ash, but he could figure out what kind of creature they were looking for the fastest. If it was a ghost, he could find not only the circumstance that person had died but also where they were buried. He was good at digging up and presenting obscure facts that could save a Hunter's life. When it came to practicing interview of the victims' families, John found that the "interviewee", usually a cousin, couldn't resist those eyes and dimples of Sam's, making him very formidable when it came to getting information. Dean just grinned. He knew his brother's strengths and loved watching the astonished looks on everyone's faces. He also knew that Sam was using his gift of empathy to worm his way into the hearts of the ones he was interviewing. When he was told about it, John approved saying that great Hunter used all his skills and resources to the fullest. Sam blushed and grinned shyly when he heard the compliment.

Because of the problems that Sam, Dean and Ashley were having, John asked his cousin Timothy to council them. Sam, though, didn't want to talk to a stranger. He really didn't want to talk to anyone about what happened the night his mother died. Again, Dean and Ashley tried to convince Sam that it was okay to talk to someone about that night but Sam just clammed up and retreated into his mind a bit further. Dean even broke his promise and tried to find out what happened by going into his brother's mind but Sam had hidden the information too deep for Dean to find. Sam had never even spoken to Adell about it and he wasn't about to burden anyone with his history of pain and torture.

Strangely, it was the dogs that Sam told his story to. They were safe and wouldn't judge him at all. At first, John didn't want the dogs in the house but Missouri talked him into letting them in, especially when the twins cried for their dog Bones and couldn't sleep without him being in the room. Missouri told John that the dogs made the children feel safe. Riot was a beautiful long haired dog that a friend of Rufus' brought, and became Sam's constant companion. Rumsfeld was Bobby's guard dog from the Salvage Yard and when he was brought to the house, he took over as alpha of the tiny pack. Bones was the second while Riot stayed to himself. When John asked about that, Rufus told him that Riot's first owner had abused him then tried to drown the puppy. Rufus' friend was the one who rescued the dog and gave him training and love. When the man heard about Sam, Ashley and Dean, he thought that Riot was a perfect fit. Zepp was a black lab that adored Dean and Caleb while the last dog, Lady, was the girls' best friend, especially Brittany. Zepp and Lady had been given to the family by Rufus' friend at the same time that he had given them Riot.

After a week of Dean and Ashley trying to get Sam to talk to the doctor, the young boy slipped out of the house one early morning. All five dogs followed him to a small pond which had a bench by it. Rumsfeld took a defensive position by his human while Riot jumped on the bench by Sam only to lay down and put his head on the child's lap. Lady, Zepp and Bones made a furry circle around the others. Sam breathed in and out, trying to calm himself. He knew that he would have to talk to someone but he really didn't want to. He was terrified of the looks on the others' faces when he told them what his father said, how he blamed the five year old for the murders the man had committed. Sam didn't want to lose his family, especially Dean, when they found that their suspicions about him were correct, that he was the reason why his father had killed all those women and children.

Finally, the pressure in his head and heart became too much and he started to cry. Riot looked up and licked the tears from Sam's face then settled back down. After a while, Sam began to whisper, "I remember the day when Mommy and I were taken away by daddy. He had yellow eyes and was mean 'cuz he tied me and Mommy up. He made Mommy cry while telling her it was all my fault, all of the killings he did after I was born. He told her about Aunt Mary and Dean. How he had tied Dean up and threw him in his bedroom then he went back to Aunt Mary and cut her up. He took her baby out of her stomach then burned her up.

"When he was done with Mommy, she had no tongue, no eyes and she was crying before he stuck his knife in her heart. Then…then he turned to me and started to cut me, always saying that it was my fault that he killed those other people and it was my fault that he ki…killed Mommy. He said I was worthless and Grandma shouldn't have taken me in but left me on the street to die. Wh…while he was taking the skin off my back, I wanted so badly for someone to hear me that I yelled very loud in my mind but by the time someone came, I just wanted to die. Daddy made sure they saw him stabbing me all the while whispering in my ear it was my fault he was going to die. The…the policeman shot daddy and he died but I didn't and I wanted to so badly.

"The doctors kept me in the hospital for so long and I hated it there. I knew the only way to get out was to cooperate with them even though I just wanted to sleep forever and be with Mommy. Grandma tried to help but I didn't want her to be burdened with what I had done so I didn't say anything. Then she gave me a gift, one that I can't repay and that's having a Dad and a brother who loves me but they are the ones whose wife and child I stole. Now, I have lots of brothers and sisters now that Uncle Brian killed their parents and I know that I did that. It was in his eyes at Grandma's funeral…"

Dean watched his brother from the tree line, unwilling to invade the boy's privacy. He could feel the waves of fear and despair coming off Sam so he lightly touched the younger child's mind. Dean reeled from the images that were there and, for the first time, understood why Sam was so reluctant to discuss what happened to him. Finally, he decided that enough was enough and Dean walked over to Sam who was crying silently into Riot's fur. Quietly, he sat down and shifted Sam to his shoulder where the child continued to cry.

After a while, Dean started to speak softly, "I remember the night Mom died. Dad was working late and she had made pizza that night so we could eat in front of the television, something that didn't happen when Dad was home. He liked eating at the table, said it made him feel as though he was home. We had a lot of fun that night before…anyway Mom had just gotten me ready for bed and was reading a book to me when someone knocked on the door. She told me not to leave my room but I didn't listen, I was only four at the time you know. When she opened the door, here was a guy who knocked her into the house and stepped in. He broke a couple of her vases, something she kept near the door with what I know now had protective sigils against demons painted on them. After he did that, he said something like 'I invite you into me' and this black cloud came into our home. It circled the man then went into his mouth. When it was gone, the man's eyes changed color from hazel to yellow.

"He tied me up and threw me into my room then all I remember is hearing Mom scream for a very long time. I passed out but the next thing I remember is Dad holding me telling me that everything was going to be all right. Sammy, remember when I got after those kids who were trying to beat you up?" Dean felt the head on his chest nod, "Well their parents came over to Grandma's and said that you should be locked up since your father was a serial killer. Dad said that you had no control over what your father did since you were just a baby at the time. You had nothing to do with your mom and father getting together and having you and you definitely didn't have any choice in the matter of who your father was. Dad asked me if it made a difference to me that your father was the one who killed Mom and I said absolutely not. Sammy, look at me." Sam raised his head and reluctantly looked Dean in the eye, "The one thing you need to remember is that demons lie. The only time they tell the truth is when it hurts the most but in this case, the demon lied to you. Those other mothers and children, my Mom and yours, their deaths are not your fault. You have the brightest soul, the most generous heart that I have ever found."

Sam smiled a bit then the smile went away as he asked, "He said that it was my fault I was born. How could it be my fault?"

Dean kept his smile off his face. The fact that Sam was questioning what the demon said while he was torturing the child made him realize that Sam was finally allowing himself to heal from the incident. "Sammy, you were not even consulted about being made, were you?" Sam shook his head, "He said that to you to make you feel guilty for even being alive. With everything that had happened to you, you came out of it stronger than ever. He's afraid of that and is trying to hurt you by hurting your family. But he won't be able to anymore. If he even comes near you, Dad and I along with the rest of our family will kill him. I promise you that and I don't make promises I won't keep. Understand?" Sam just nodded then put his head back on Dean's chest. Dean wrapped his arms around the child and they stayed that way for a long time, taking comfort in each other's company.

WWWWWWWWWWWW

Christmas was only a couple of weeks away and the children were antsy to go shopping. John was at a loss since he hadn't really celebrated the holiday since Mary's death but now he was looking at twelve children who were excited at the mere thought of having Christmas with their new family. Dean especially was looking forward to the season even though he hadn't celebrated since he was four. Missouri took pity on the man and started to get decorations for the house which the girls were happy to help her put up. Missouri had the boys put up the outside decorations and John was relegated into putting up the outside lights since she said that job was just too dangerous for the children.

Then came what John feared and dreaded: the shopping trip with all the children for presents. Missouri just grinned when he voiced his dread then she revealed a surprise for everyone: an SUV large enough to carry the whole family. Since they were going to split up into groups, John asked Caleb and Joshua to come with them. When they got the kids into the van, the men followed in Joshua's truck and the family began their twenty mile trek to the nearest mall. Once there, Missouri split the kids into small groups. Brittany, Dillon, David and Noah would go with her. Jo, Catherine, Ashley and Elizabeth were in Joshua's group. Bradley and Ash went with John while Sam and Dean went with Caleb. John made sure each group had their money then they separated after making plans to meet at the food court in two hours. Then the groups went their own way. The store owners loved the fact they were making money but the guardians were exhausted when the two hour mark had been met. The kids found everything they wanted for gifts, all of them had except for one child. The only one who hadn't was Sam.

He hadn't found a single thing he liked as a present, to show his new family how he felt about them. Sam felt so much a failure that even Dean couldn't get him to eat at lunch. John had been determined to make this a one-time shopping trip for the season and really hadn't wanted to make another one. He really hated the mall even though it had been checked and made safe by his cousins. He felt exposed and claustrophobic with the crowds of holiday shoppers but, looking at Sam's sad face, he decided to extend the trip a bit longer. Giving his group over to Caleb, John decided a little one on one time with Sam was warranted.

Together, they walked the mall and window shopped. None of the stores felt that they were carrying what Sam wanted and he was starting to get upset. John noticed how little things were moving on their own as they passed so he decided they needed a break. As they sat on the bench, John asked, "Sammy, problems?"

Sam nodded with tears in his eyes, "I can't find anything I want to give anyone."

"Kiddo, you have to go into the stores to find something," John said gently.

"They don't feel right," Sam tried to explain. "They're all the same. Generic."

John tried to understand, "What do you mean, don't feel right?"

"I want to give something to everyone that shows how I feel about them and nothing around here feels like they would have what I want," Sam said sadly. John's heart went out to the fragile young boy.

"Tell you what, why don't you get everyone something they would like then we can work on the other problem," he suggested. Sam slowly nodded his agreement and John smiled. After that, Sam's shopping went a bit faster. Toys, jewelry, models, clothes and knickknacks were all bought but Sam still didn't feel as though he had gotten enough. He started to feel inadequate once more and John, seeing a New Age store, steered his child towards it.

The clerk was a dark haired man with intense blue eyes. He looked up from his paperwork when John and Sam walked into the store. He watched while Sam drifted from shelf to shelf, looking for something before he went over to the pair. "May I be of assistance?" the man asked.

John stepped between the stranger and his son, "My son is looking for presents for the family."

"Maybe I can suggest a few things," the man offered. "By the way, my name is Castiel."

"John and this is Sammy," John returned. Sam looked at Castiel with interest and total trust, something he had never done to anyone except for Dean. John noted his son's reaction and determined to ask him about it later but now was about Sam and the presents. Castiel nodded then started to mention a few things in the shop.

"Picture frames are always something people like. We carry many types and sizes, all silver though. We have charms for love, protection and health. There are also many stones and crystals that some people like as well as books, knickknacks, herbs, teas, and other sundries. It just depends on what you want," Castiel said.

Sam looked around and found the items he wanted. For Bobby, he got some herbs and crystals. Joshua and Caleb were getting a couple of silver knives with protective sigils carved on them. Sam's new brothers and sisters were going to be getting silver picture frames and protective charms while Missouri and Ellen were each going to have a beautiful bracelet made of cat's eyes and amber. For Jim, Sam found a set of books written in Latin that he thought the Pastor would like. When it came to John, Sam whispered in the clerk's ear that he wanted a protective charm and a silver/iron knife set. The clerk nodded and made a mental note to slip the items in Sam's bag when John wasn't looking. Finally, Dean was the last one to get for and Sam once again became frantic since he couldn't find anything that he wanted to give his big brother.

Castiel, seeing the young boy's distress, said, "I have something that I've been saving for a very special person. It's an ancient protective Amulet that, when given with love, is supposed to protect its wearer from evil. It is also reputed to burn hot in the presence of God. Like I said, I wouldn't sell it to just anyone but you are very special. I would be honored if you would take it."

Sam watched as Castiel unlocked a small safe behind the counter and pull out a small box. The clerk opened the box and took out an Amulet that was hanging from a leather strip. He looked at the thing and smiled then he put it in Sam's hand. Sam felt a warmth flow from the Amulet into his own body. It was then that he knew he had found the perfect present for his brother. John watched the whole thing and could feel the contentment and happiness that Sam was projecting. He was very grateful to the clerk for the happiness he had given to Sam. He could almost feel the huge smile on Sam's soul.

Finally, Sam's selections were taken to the counter where Castiel rang them up. When he was through, he told Sam how much the items came to and the young boy paid for them while the clerk slipped John's presents into the bag. As the duo was leaving, Sam turned back and gave Castiel a brilliant smile and said, "Thank you very much. I hope you have a terrific Christmas."

"Thank you Sam. I hope you and your family have a great Christmas also. Please stay safe," the enigmatic clerk said. Sam grinned again then led his father out into the mall. They didn't see Castiel smile softly or hear the sound of wings as he disappeared.

WWWWWWWWWWWW

The next few days saw a flurry of decorating and wrapping as everyone got ready for the Holiday season. Missouri and Ellen put together menus for Christmas Eve and Day along with New Year's Eve and Day. They went out shopping for the food with the girls, using the trip as sort of a girls' day out. When they returned home, it took the entire household to bring in the packages and put the food away. The next chore that got attention was the cleaning of the entire house. The men only got out of that chore since they were put on Christmas card and New Year's Eve invitation duty. The last chore to be done was the baking which everyone had to pitch in for. By the time everything was done, it was just a week before Christmas and everyone was exhausted.

As he collapsed on his favorite chair, John groaned when he saw Missouri walking towards him. "Hon, we need a tree," she said when she got near him.

"Really, Missy? A tree?" John queried tiredly.

"Yes, John, a tree. You can either cut one down or just go to the lot and buy one. You'll need to get a stand and a skirt since I don't feel like vacuuming up needles," Missouri replied relentlessly. John just nodded and made a mental note to conscript Josh and Caleb into that happy duty. What he didn't count on was Missouri going with them to find the perfect tree which took hours to do. When she was finally satisfied, they tied the tree to the top of the SUV and left the lot.

While they were gone, Ellen finished wrapping all the presents, including the ones from Santa. Then she got Jim and Bobby together to help her put together the presents that had the dreaded words all adults feared: "some assembly required". When the men complained, all she asked was if they wanted to do this during Christmas Eve or would they rather get some sleep before being awakened at six in the morning on Christmas. The men looked at each other then began to assemble bikes and other gifts. While they were doing that chore, Ellen took pity on them and went to the kitchen to make her special Egg Nog which both men indulged in. She had made sure to make a virgin Egg Nog for the children and put the spiked one in a very safe place, labeling it as protein drinks. No child she knew of would intentionally drink that unless they were made to by a coach or father, something that wasn't an issue in the household. Only Sam had to drink special smoothies so he could gain weight and Dean was the one who made them for the child.

By the time the tree arrived, was put up and decorated, everyone was so tired they fell asleep wherever they were sitting. The next few days would have presents being put under the tree, all of them except for the gifts from Santa that is. Dean's eyes grew large as he watched Christmas becoming something he vaguely remembered. It was a very magical time for him, one that brought frequent tears to his eyes, no matter how much he denied it. Sam understood how he felt and kept nestling into Dean's arms to give his brother much needed comfort.

Jim had asked if anyone would object if he did a Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve and had received an overwhelming approval from the whole family, even John who really didn't believe in God. Jim got the children into the act by teaching them the songs he wanted and had the oldest children read the passages before the Gospel. Word had gotten around the town about the Mass and many of the residents, especially the Hunters, asked if they could attend. Jim, who had originally planned to have the Mass at home, had to find a church that would let him preside over one since his congregation had expanded so much. St. Gabriel's Church had an elderly priest who agreed for Jim to celebrate the Mass. He even went so far as to ask Jim to take over the church since he was getting ready to retire. After talking to the family and his Bishop, Jim was officially transferred from the church in Blue Earth to the little church near his family. John even agreed to let him live full time at the house saying it didn't make sense for him to move into the Rectory since he already had a place he was staying at. Jim smiled and had the rest of his things that were still at Blue Earth moved to his new home. He had to personally go and get his weapons but that only took him a day with all the help he got from Bobby and Joshua.

The service truly became a family affair when Robert and Jonah offered to help Jim do a Latin mass as most of those who were planning to attend could read and speak the dead language. The small church was filled to overflowing as John's children sang and read the passages while John's eyes were suspiciously wet. When Jim came down to give Communion, John and his whole family went up to receive it. Jim's eyebrows went up when he saw the new patriarch but didn't say anything. He had known about John's very loud and persistent view about the existence of God so it was a very big shock. All Jim could think was that the new family was something John viewed as a blessing from the Almighty.

John further shocked Jim by inviting all his cousins and their families to his home for a snack which he said the family had made for such an occasion. He said he wanted his kids to get to know their cousins and, to a person, they accepted his invitation. The time they spent afterwards was fun and full of laughter, even Sam came out of his shell a bit to interact with his cousins. John's heart swelled with happiness and joy.

After the others left and the children were sent to bed, the adults started the huge job of bringing out the rest of the presents for the kids. Bobby was truly happy that they had put together all the gifts that needed assembly earlier that week. He had to admit that Ellen was totally right about having things done _before_ Christmas Eve remembering how frustrating some of those things were to put together and he could read and speak Japanese, for crying out loud! Each adult took one of the cookies that the younger kids left for Santa while John had the honors of drinking the milk. Finally, it was time for them to go to bed and Ellen warned them that they would be up very early the next morning. There was a chorus of groans when they realized that it was three in the morning.

Boy was Ellen right about the kids waking up early. It started with the youngest, Brittany and Dillon then it escalated from there. The only ones who hadn't woken up early were Dean and Sam but that was remedied very quickly with Bradley going into their room and using an air horn which also woke Caleb up. Caleb figured that if he was up so very early then the rest of the adults should be too so he ran around to the other bedrooms, pounding on the doors loudly to wake the occupants up. When he heard the grumblings and tart words from the adults he grinned and ran to the living room to be with his "siblings", his work done.

After John and the others finally stumbled into the living room, they were greeted with hot chocolate and cinnamon buns with a side of a sea of smiling faces. The adults sat down to munch their breakfasts as the children waited anxiously. When the last drop was drunk and the last bite was eaten, John gave the go-ahead for the kids to dive into the presents. Missouri, Ellen and Bobby remembered their cameras and snapped pictures of wrapping flying off presents and grinning children who were happy for the first time since their parents died. Only Sam held back from the melee with both the presents he had received and the ones he was going to give.

Once everyone else was done, they looked at the small boy who just gave a tiny grin. Then he started to hand out his gifts-two each per person. It wasn't the usual gifts that had gotten everyone's attention but the special ones he found in the small gift shop. The framed pictures, charms, jewelry, books, herbs and crystals, and knives were all well received but it was the gift to Dean that was the biggest shock. Bobby identified the Amulet as one of a kind thing of great power and protection. Dean just looked at the present with tears in his eyes.

"This is beautiful, Sammy," he said as he put it on, "I'll never take it off." Sam, seeing his brother's love, gave him a huge hug. Dean held onto his precious brother for a minute then, backing off, helped his brother unwrap his own presents. There wasn't a dry eye in the room. The best present that Sam had gotten he had already received months ago-a family. It had been given to him by his grandmother.

WWWWWWWWWWWW

Azazel hated the season of Christmas when humans had so much love and good will towards each other. Luckily, Brian, his mud monkey, also hated the season and that led them to start planning how they were going to finally kill the future of the families who had hounded and harried the demon for centuries. The demon knew that, even if the season was full of joy, it also was the time to strike since the thoughts of the Hunters would be towards family and not towards him. Even though the town was surrounded by salted and blessed iron, it could be breached by the human who would give the demon entrance into a very protected area. Once there, he would have Brian go to the Winchester home where he would gain entry through the human's breaking of a couple of protective sigils. Just like his brother did for the demon at Mary Winchester's home.

The demon had Brian stay in a motel room that was ten miles away from the town while he scouted the perimeter. It took him a few passes before he found a breach in the iron circle. There had been a cold snap which had caused the iron to buckle and break in one spot. Now, all Brian had to do was to move the iron so the circle was broken. The demon had found a back road into the town, perfect for the human to drive to a good camping location. When he got back to his favorite human, Alastair was there talking to Brian about having a soft touch when torturing. Azazel listened for a few minutes with a smile on his face, remembering watching the Master Torturer working on some of the finest souls that ever came to Hell. Even the worst human monster never stood a chance against Alastair's knife.

Azazel stepped out of the shadows to reveal himself, "Ahhh Brian. My favorite."

Brian stood and bowed to his master now. "My master. Was your quest successful?" He had taken to speaking formally to Azazel since his last killings. It felt right and his friend loved it. Brian wanted to make his friend happy and if that's what it took, he would do it. He didn't realize that Azazel had been working his own brand of magic on the man nor would he have cared if he had. Brian's soul was so twisted by that point he could have been considered a demon in his own right.

"Very, my pupil. I found a weak spot in their protective circle that we can exploit. There is also a back road that you can use until we get to the Winchester house. Once there, we will bathe in the blood of that damned family once and for all, especially Sam's," Azazel's yellow eyes gleamed at the thought of such a wonderful event.

"My friend, you never have told me why that larva is so important to kill," Alastair complained.

Azazel didn't care that he was speaking in front of a human since Brian was so very twisted. Besides, he was planning to kill the man after he had outlived his usefulness. "Sam Winchester is one of the very few humans on this Earth who can kill me or any of the Fallen," Azazel explained. "He is the one whom armies will rally behind. If circumstances were different, he would be called the Boy King by all those who dwell in Hell but my brother Michael would not allow that to happen. That coward decided to protect Sam from becoming Hell's ruler by making sure the child's grandmother took his mother in before she gave birth."

"How did that keep him from being the Boy King?" Brian knew that his master was in a talkative mood and therefore, was more apt to answer his questions.

"Michael made sure that the child was surrounded by Angelic protections and pure love. He caused that very pure soul to be born to Melissa Caldwell instead of her sister, Mary Campbell. If he had been born to the woman, Mary, I could have polluted his blood with my own. His powers would have slept until he was twenty two and he would have been thrown off balance, thinking himself as a monster, a freak. I could have become his mentor then, saving him from the hatred and mistrust his father and brother would have shown him. Under my tutelage, he would have blossomed to be the greatest leader Hell had seen but Michael made sure that soul was born to the sister of Mary Campbell and threw my plans out the window. Now, that child will grow up to be a general of the armies of Heaven. Even now, he is more powerful than many demons in Hell. He must be eliminated and all those who protect him must die," Azazel ranted. His eyes glowed an unearthly yellow as his anger at his erstwhile brother's actions. Wisely, Brian and Alastair kept quiet. They really liked breathing.

_tbc_

_A/N-the next chapter is under construction and may take a few days to finish. Please be patient with me!_


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